EU Council Presidency Slovakia 2016

The coat of arms of the Slovak Republic set against a background of curved lines arranged in a fan shape, converging toward the center; below it, in a semicircle, the inscription „PREDSEDNÍCTVO SR V RADE EÚ", and above it the country name „SLOVENSKO"; along with the year „2016", the initials of the coin's designer Vladimír Pavlica, and the mint mark.

The proof-quality issue of this coin was produced exclusively for the private use of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) and is therefore not intended for sale. It is believed these coins were meant as gifts for special guests of the NBS, which presumably explains why a few examples have found their way onto the open market.

When Slovakia assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time on 1 July 2016, it marked a turning point in the country's young EU history: just twelve years after joining the EU in 2004, Bratislava sat at the head of the Union's most powerful legislative body. Slovakia's Council presidency operated under the motto "Strong Europe" and set thematic priorities on strengthening the single market, deepening economic and monetary union, and reforming EU migration policy — issues of particular urgency given the refugee crisis and the British Brexit referendum in the same half-year. The presidency rotates every six months among member states; for smaller countries like Slovakia, it represents an organizational and diplomatic effort far beyond regular EU participation.

Since its founding in 1993, Slovakia had followed a remarkable path of European integration: a NATO member since 2004, and the first of the Visegrád countries to adopt the euro, in 2009 — the 2016 Council presidency was the provisional high point of this development. Internationally, Slovakia was regarded at the time as a constructive mediator within the EU, even though domestic tensions over migration accompanied the presidency. At the conclusion of its term in December 2016, Bratislava presented a balance sheet whose assessment varied depending on the observer — but the historic significance of this first-time role remained undisputed. Slovakia's 2016 2-euro commemorative coin recalls this event.