Proclamation of the Republic of Malta, 1974

A marble plaque mounted on the façade of the Presidential Palace in Valletta symbolises Malta's transition from a monarchy to a republic. In the upper right, the semicircular inscription "MALTA – Republic 1974" can be read. Below it is the year "2015".

This €2 commemorative coin exists in 2 varieties. The €2 commemorative coins included in the brilliant uncirculated coin set were struck at the Dutch mint in Utrecht and therefore carry that mint's mint mark (MT-15 G4). The other coins bear no mint mark (MT-15 G3).

Malta's transition to a republic on 13 December 1974 marked a decisive turning point in post-war European history: the island state at the heart of the Mediterranean formally severed ties with the British Crown and from then on elected its own president as head of state. This step took place only a few years after independence from Britain in 1964 and was the result of a deliberate constitutional debate under Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, who steered Malta consistently towards neutrality and state independence. With the proclamation of the republic, Malta established for the first time a fully independent form of state - free of any dependence on the Crown and, at the same time, outside the Commonwealth, which the country only rejoined later.

The Presidential Palace in Valletta, seat of the Maltese head of state since independence, still stands today as a symbol of this constitutional continuity. Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the smallest capitals in Europe, was already a significant political centre in the time of the Knights and remained so under British colonial rule and after independence. With its 2-euro commemorative coin of 2015, part of the series on Malta's constitutional history, Malta marks the 40th anniversary of the proclamation of the republic - a chapter that continues to shape the country's self-image as a sovereign small state within the European Union.