Cyprus · 35 years of the Erasmus Programme

Issue date1 Jul 2022

Total mintage412,000

EU maximum412,000

Editions4

Edge lettering2 ΕΥΡΩ 2 EURO × 2

Inscription1987-2022 / ERASMUS / PROGRAMME / ΚΥΠΡΟΣ

DesignerJoaquin Jimenez

mintBank of Greece - Mint, Halandri

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin honours the 35th anniversary of the Erasmus programme. The design combines a well-known depiction of Erasmus as an intellectual source of inspiration with a network of connections symbolising the human and intellectual exchange between European students. Some of the connections form stars, from which the anniversary number 35 emerges; the outer ring of the coin is adorned with the twelve stars of the European flag.

The design

The coin design shows a combination of two main elements of the Erasmus programme: the original intellectual inspiration, Erasmus himself, and the allegory of his influence on Europe.
The first is symbolised by one of the best-known depictions of Erasmus.
The second by a beam of connections extending from one beacon to another across the coin, representing the diverse intellectual and human exchange between European students.
In relation to Europe, some of these connections form stars emerging from the synergies between the countries.
The anniversary number 35 emerges from the stars in a contemporary graphic style.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

Desiderius Erasmus von Rotterdam was born around 1466 and died in Basel in 1536. He was a Dutch humanist, theologian, philologist and writer. His work belongs to the period of the Renaissance and the beginnings of the Reformation. Among other things, Erasmus published a Greek-Latin edition of the New Testament (Neues Testament) and advocated an education based on ancient sources. In his satire The Praise of Folly (Lob der Torheit), he criticized social and ecclesiastical abuses.

Erasmus lived and worked in various places across Europe, including Paris, England, Italy, Leuven, Freiburg im Breisgau and Basel. He corresponded with scholars, clergy and rulers in numerous countries. In this way, already in the early modern period, he embodied a cross-border scholarly culture in which knowledge was disseminated through travel, correspondence and personal networks. His name was therefore suitable for a European exchange programme. At the same time, “ERASMUS” can be read as an abbreviation for “European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students”.

The programme was established in 1987 by the European Community (Europäische Gemeinschaft) of that time. It was intended to enable students to complete part of their studies in another European country and have the achievements obtained there recognised as part of their studies at their home university. Alongside academic learning, language skills, personal contacts and experiences with other social and higher-education cultures were central. Later, further forms of mobility were added, including stays by teaching staff and higher-education personnel.

Since 2014, Erasmus has been integrated into the broader EU programme Erasmus+. In addition to higher-education institutions, this also includes schools, vocational education and training, adult education, youth projects and sport. The commemoration through a joint coin issue therefore refers not only to a single educational programme, but also to a form of European cooperation that has developed over several decades. The coin design was also selected in a Europe-wide online vote from six designs previously chosen by a panel of experts.