40th Anniversary of the Charlemagne Prize Awarded to the People of Luxembourg

At the centre: the Charlemagne Prize medal with pendant. Along the left edge: part of the commemorative inscription "PEUPLE LUXEMBOURGEOIS"; to the lower right: "PRIX CHARLEMAGNE 1986". The year "2026" appears along the lower edge; the marks of the Paris Mint, Engraver-General Joaquin Jimenez, and designer Chiara Principe are placed at the upper right.

This coin is expected to be issued as a photorealistic strike as well, in a mintage of just 2,500. This variant is only included in the official coin set.

The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen has been awarded since 1950 to individuals who have made a special contribution to European unification. In 1986, the Charlemagne Prize Directorate decided for the first time to honor not an individual but an entire people: the people of Luxembourg. The reasoning cited Luxembourg's consistently pro-European stance since the early days of European integration — its active role in shaping the European Coal and Steel Community, the Treaties of Rome, and the European institutions, as well as the country's willingness, as a small member state, to cede national sovereignty in favor of shared structures. Luxembourg was a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952 and continues to host key EU institutions such as the European Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, and the General Secretariat of the European Parliament.

The 1986 award fits within a broader context of Luxembourg's European policy. The country has always played a mediating role among the larger member states and is regarded as a reliable driver of integration — not least because economic and political interdependence with the neighboring states of Belgium, France, and Germany is, for Luxembourg, no abstract idea but lived reality. Prominent Luxembourgers have significantly shaped European history, including Gaston Thorn as President of the European Commission and Jacques Santer, who also held that office. To mark the 40th anniversary of the Charlemagne Prize being awarded to the Luxembourg people, Luxembourg is issuing a 2-euro commemorative coin in 2026 recalling this special collective honor.