QUESTION: Wrote said that under the EU organization, the French insisted there would be a prohibition against issuing any coin that commemorated Waterloo. Can you elaborate on that? I never heard of that clause before.
ANSWER: Yes, and Belgium defied the rule by issuing a commemorative 2.5 euro coin that was NOT for general circulation. It was a special issue collector’s coin. Great Britain also issued a commemorative 2-pound collector’s coin in 2015 also celebrating the victory at Waterloo. Both were for collector purposes and thus skirted around the prohibition included in the agreement for the Euro by the French.
The tensions between nations politically still survive throughout Europe. When the Eurostar was created so you can ride the train from Paris or Brussels to London, it was set to arrive in London at Waterloo Station. Despite the European project design to federalize Europe, the ill-feelings run deep and will remain going forward for you cannot change history.