Deutsch
English
Français
Español
Italiano
Nederlands
Português
Slovenčina
Hrvatski
Slovenščina
Lietuvių
Eesti
БългарскиNo dedicated images are available for this edition yet; the coin’s images are shown
CC 319 2018
Coin set
BU
Coin set BU – CMN Simone Veil's entry into the Panthéon
France · Simone Veil
Mintage500
Issue price€43.00
Issue date26 Jun 2018
PackagingCoin set
Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted
Issue occasion
The commemorative coin honors Simone Veil, a leading figure in the fight for women’s rights, a survivor of deportation to Auschwitz, and the first elected President of the European Parliament. The design features her portrait with her prisoner number on the collar; in the background are the European Parliament, as well as her name and years of life. Veil advocated the legalization of abortion, adopted in 1975, and had been a member of the Académie française since 2008.
The design
The coin’s design features a portrait of Simone Veil, a leading figure in the fight for women’s rights. Simone Veil, née Jacob, died in June 2017 at the age of 89. She survived deportation to Auschwitz and became one of the most important figures in the building of Europe. From 1979 to 1982, she was the first elected President of the European Parliament. She stood for the legalisation of abortion, for which she campaigned and which was enacted in 1975 through a law named after her. She had been a member of the Académie française since 2008.
Her prisoner number appears on her collar. The European Parliament is depicted in the background, along with her name, her year of birth and year of death, the country designation “RF”, the year of issue “2018”, and the mintmarks. The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.
Her prisoner number appears on her collar. The European Parliament is depicted in the background, along with her name, her year of birth and year of death, the country designation “RF”, the year of issue “2018”, and the mintmarks. The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.
Background on the topic
Simone Veil was born in 1927 as Simone Jacob in Nizza into a Jewish family. During the German occupation of France, she was arrested in 1944 and deported with members of her family. After Auschwitz-Birkenau, she was sent to further camps; when the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was liberated in April 1945, she was seventeen years old. Her parents and her brother did not survive the National Socialist persecution. Veil later spoke publicly about the Shoah and was committed to preserving its memory.
After the war, she studied law and political science. As a judge and civil servant, she worked, among other places, in the French prison administration. There, she focused particularly on the conditions of women in detention. In 1974, she became Minister of Health in the government of President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.
The legislation on abortion named after her emerged in a highly contested political and social situation. Abortions were generally punishable by law in France, but were nevertheless performed, often under dangerous conditions. Veil defended the bill before the National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in November 1974. She was subjected to fierce personal and, in some cases, antisemitic attacks. The law permitted an abortion within a specified period and under certain conditions. It initially entered into force on a trial basis and was later confirmed permanently.
Veil’s European engagement was connected with the first direct election of the European Parliament. This was intended to give Parliament stronger democratic legitimacy. Her biography linked the memory of the National Socialist crimes with the belief that European cooperation could prevent new wars.
France issued the coin one year after Veil’s death. In the same year, she and her husband Antoine Veil, who had died previously, were transferred to the Panthéon in Paris. There, the Republic honours figures whose lives are connected with its political and social history. The coin issue was thus part of the state commemorative events of 2018.
After the war, she studied law and political science. As a judge and civil servant, she worked, among other places, in the French prison administration. There, she focused particularly on the conditions of women in detention. In 1974, she became Minister of Health in the government of President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.
The legislation on abortion named after her emerged in a highly contested political and social situation. Abortions were generally punishable by law in France, but were nevertheless performed, often under dangerous conditions. Veil defended the bill before the National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in November 1974. She was subjected to fierce personal and, in some cases, antisemitic attacks. The law permitted an abortion within a specified period and under certain conditions. It initially entered into force on a trial basis and was later confirmed permanently.
Veil’s European engagement was connected with the first direct election of the European Parliament. This was intended to give Parliament stronger democratic legitimacy. Her biography linked the memory of the National Socialist crimes with the belief that European cooperation could prevent new wars.
France issued the coin one year after Veil’s death. In the same year, she and her husband Antoine Veil, who had died previously, were transferred to the Panthéon in Paris. There, the Republic honours figures whose lives are connected with its political and social history. The coin issue was thus part of the state commemorative events of 2018.
Interesting Facts
There are 2 versions, each with a mintage of 500, but with different designations and designs:
- Simone Veil
- CMN Entry of Simone Veil into the Panthéon