Brussels, December 18, 2001

The European Copper Institute celebrates the Euro launch with sculpture gift to the European Parliament

In celebration of copper's valuable contribution to the new euro coins, the European Copper Institute presented the European Parliament with a copper sculpture to commemorate the Euro launch.

The unveiling ceremony, was held today at the European Parliament in the presence of Nicole Fontaine, European Parliament President, Christa Randzio-Plath, MEP & Chair of the Economic & Monetary Affairs Committee, Wim Duisenberg, President of the European Central Bank, Didier Reynders, Belgium Minister of Finance, and current head of the Euro Group of EU finance ministers, Pedro Solbes Mira, European Commissioner for Economic & Monetary Affairs and other distinguished guests.

Over 140 people were in attendance at the ceremony.

Today's ceremony was part of a broader awareness campaign, organised by the European Copper Institute, to highlight the various performance attributes of copper that led to its selection for the new euro coins. The campaign with its slogan "Euro. Born out of Copper" promotes copper's antibacterial, recycling and outstanding physical properties.

Copper has historically been the material of choice for currency because of its ability to preserve the visual appearance and longevity of coins in everyday use.

Copper's antibacterial properties will minimise health concerns from the day to day handling of coins and its ability to be recycled indefinitely, without any loss of performance, strongly supports the goals of a sustainable society. Finally, copper's superior electrical conductivity facilitates the recognition of the various coins in vending machines across Europe, thus minimising the risk of fraud.

In presenting the copper statue, Norbert Brodersen, Chairman of the European Copper Institute, said, "The industry is proud of copper's selection for the new Euro and we felt it was important to publicly commemorate this historic event. The statue, to be permanently housed in the European Parliament, acknowledges the people and governments of the European Union for their valuable contributions in helping to make the common currency a reality."

The statue designed by the young, up-and-coming Belgian sculptor, Rodolphe Cogels, stands 2,30m high, 1,50m wide and weighs 400 kilos.

The euro will become the official currency in twelve countries in Europe beginning January 1, 2002 -- 52 billion coins will be issued for the start up.

##

For more information, visit the website: www.eurocopper.org or call: Christian de Barrin, Communications Manager
European Copper Institute
Tel: +32 2 777 70 82
E-mail: cdb@eurocopper.org