Cyprus assumed the rotating presidency of the EU Council in July 2012 — a moment immediately overshadowed by the island's escalating sovereign debt crisis. The government was already in bailout negotiations with the Troika when this coin was struck, making the celebratory premise somewhat awkward. Cyprus would formally request a €10 billion rescue package before the presidency even concluded in December of that year.
Cyprus assumed the rotating presidency of the EU Council in July 2012 — a moment immediately overshadowed by the island's escalating sovereign debt crisis. The government was already in bailout negotiations with the Troika when this coin was struck, making the celebratory premise somewhat awkward. Cyprus would formally request a €10 billion rescue package before the presidency even concluded in December of that year.