From Children with Solidarity – Peace

Two children holding the Maltese flag, with a dove of peace above. In the lower part, the name of the issuing state “Malta”, and on the right side, the year “2017”.

This 2-euro commemorative coin exists in two varieties. The 2-euro commemorative coins in the ST coin set were struck at the French mint in Pessac and carry that mint's mark and that of mint master Yves Sampo (MT-17 G5). The other coins carry no mintmark (MT-17 G4).

Malta is a small island state in the central Mediterranean whose history has, over the centuries, been shaped by a succession of rulers — Arabs, Normans, the Order of St John, and finally the British Empire — before the country gained independence in 1964 and joined the European Union in 2004. Despite its small size, Malta has developed a pronounced cultural identity in which solidarity and communal living are deeply rooted historically. The Maltese flag — a white and red field bearing the George Cross — is one of the country's best-known national symbols, representing the resistance and steadfastness of the population, as demonstrated for example during the siege in the Second World War.

The idea of peace as a fundamental social value resonates particularly strongly in Malta, as the country's geographic location has always placed it at the crossroads of different cultures and conflicts. The series "Peace, from Children with Solidarity", to which this 2017 Maltese 2-euro commemorative coin belongs, foregrounds values formulated from the perspective of the youngest generation: peace, cohesion and mutual responsibility. This theme extends beyond the national context and points to the shared European self-understanding to which Malta, an EU member since joining the euro in 2008, contributes.