"I am a bit surprised by all this agitation," Belgian Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveldt said in a statement to Agence France-Presse. "Europe has plenty of other issues to deal with and challenges to overcome without wasting time and energy on this."
The coins will be used as commemorative items but will not be legal tender - instead, Belgium has started minting €2.50 coins marking the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's defeat of at the Battle of Waterloo. A rule allows eurozone countries to unilaterally issue coins if they are in an irregular denomination - in this case, €2.50 - and so Belgium has managed to avoid French opposition.