1 Leu 20 Years in NATO

Romania formally joined NATO on March 29, 2004, following a decade of structural military reform and a post-Cold War foreign policy realignment that had begun almost immediately after the fall of Ceaușescu in 1989. The accession came alongside six other nations in the largest single expansion in the alliance's history. This commemorative marks the twentieth anniversary of that membership.

Tombac — a copper-zinc alloy — is the working material here, with a copper wash giving it its finish. Romania's commemorative leu series has leaned heavily on this composition for base-metal issues in the 2000s and beyond, keeping production costs contained without resorting to aluminum or steel.