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Flag of Europe

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Europe
UseCivil and state flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion2:3
AdoptedDecember 8, 1955 (CoE)
May 26, 1986 (EU)
DesignA circle of 12 5-pointed gold stars on a blue field.
Designed byArsène Heitz

The European flag consists of a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background. Although the flag is most commonly associated with the European Union (EU), it is owned and it was initially used by the Council of Europe (CoE) — a separate international organisation which does not have an organic link with the European Union — and was intended to represent Europe as a whole as opposed to any particular organisation such as the EU or the CoE.

History

Flag of the defunct ECSC
File:European flag in the wind.jpg
The flag was first adopted in 1955
File:Jacques Delors public.jpg
The inauguration of the flag by the Community in 1986
The flag outside the Commission

Previous European flags

There have been numerous other flags developed by groups to represent Europe, such as the International Paneuropean Union, although the first major organisation was the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which later merged into the European Communities. The ECSC was created in 1952 and the flag was unveiled in 1958 Expo in Brussels. The flag was two stripes, blue at the top, black at the bottom with 6 stars, 3 on each stripe. Blue was for steel, black for coal and the six stars were the six member-states. When the ECSC treaty expired in 2002, the flag was lowered in Brussels for the final time and replaced with the European flag.[1]

Council of Europe

The flag was originally adopted by the Council of Europe on December 8, 1955, from one of many designs attributed to Arsène Heitz.[2] On 25 October 1955 the Parliamentary Assembly made the unanimous decision to adopt a circle of gold stars on a blue background as an emblem. On 8 December 1955 the Committee of Ministers adopted this as the European flag. The Council of Europe from the beginning desired it to be used by other regional organisations seeking European integration.

Even though it is also adopted by the European Union, the Council of Europe — a separate international organisation which does not have an organic link with the European Union — owns the intellectual property of the European flag. This means that the Secretary General of the Council of Europe could, in theory, bar the European Union from using the European flag.[citation needed]

European Union

On 11 April 1983 the European Parliament became the first institution to adopt the flag, followed later by the European Community (EC) as a while on May 26, 1986. The European Union, which was established by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 to replace the EC and encompass its functions, also adopted the flag. Since then the use of the flag has been controlled jointly by the Council of Europe and the European Union.[citation needed]

The flag was to have been given a formal status in the European Constitution. However since the ratification of that failed, the leaders removed the state-like elements such as the flag from the replacement Reform Treaty. The European Parliament however had supported the inclusion of symbols and in response backed a proposal to use the symbols such as the flag more often in the Parliament with Jo Leinen MEP suggesting that the Parliament should again take the avant-garde in their use.[3]

While all other institutions and agencies adopted their own emblem, the European Commission, the Union's executive, only uses the flag to represent itself.[4] As part of the EU's usage, the flag appears on driving licences and licence plates issued in the bloc[5] as well as on the euro's banknotes and coins.[6] The flag must also be used in every official speech made by the President-in-Office of the European Council and is often used on official visits to a non-EU country (where there is the flag of the third country, the national flag and European flag appear together). Some members also have their own rules regarding the use of the flag along side their national flag on domestic occasions. Outside official use, the flag may not be used for aims incompatible with European values.[5]

Wider use

The flag has been intended to represent Europe in its wider sense, with the Council of Europe covering all but two European countries. In particular the flag has become a banner for pro-Europeanism outside the Union, for example in Georgia where the flag is on most government buildings since Mikhail Saakashvili came to power[7] who used it during his inauguration.[8]. It is also used as a pro-democracy emblem in countries such as Belarus where it has been used on protest marches[9]

Design

Proportions

The flag is blue with a circle of 12 gold/yellow five-pointed stars orientated upwards (the number of stars is fixed). The Heraldic description given by the EU is: "On an azure field a circle of twelve golden mullets, their points not touching."[10]

The Council of Europe described the flag as: "Against the blue sky of the Western world, the stars represent the peoples of Europe in a circle, a symbol of unity. Their number shall be invariably set at twelve, the symbol of completeness and perfection ... just like the twelve signs of the zodiac represent the whole universe, the twelve gold stars stand for all peoples of Europe – including those who cannot as yet take part in building up Europe in unity and peace."

Blue Gold
RGB 0/51/153 255/204/0
Hexadecimal 003399 FFCC00
Pantone Yellow Reflex Blue

Number of stars

File:EUTooManyStars.jpg
Example of incorrect number of stars
Example of incorrect orientation of stars
Example of incorrect positioning of stars

The number of stars on the flag is fixed at 12 and is not related to the number of member states of the EU since it is originally the flag of the Council of Europe and does not have a relation with the EU. In 1953, the Council of Europe had 15 members; it was proposed that the future flag should have one star for each member, and would not change based on future members. West Germany objected to this as one of the members was the disputed area of Saarland, and to have its own star would imply sovereignty for the region. On this basis, France also objected to fourteen stars, as this would imply the absorption of Saarland into Germany. Myth has it that the Italian representative then objected that thirteen was an unlucky number (it is not unlucky in Italy),[citation needed] as well as the fact that early flags of the United States featured that number of stars. Twelve was eventually adopted as a number with no political connotations and as a symbol of perfection and completeness[4] because of the ubiquity of the number for groups in European cultures and traditions such as:

The number has led to a number of assertions that there is further meaning in the Circle of stars, for example its similarity to the twelve-star halo of the Virgin Mary seen in Roman Catholic art. Most non-partisan authorities on the subject disregard such theories as myth.[11] However, flag designer Arsène Heitz has acknowledged that the Book of Revelation (which, in turn, is the source for the mentioned twelve-star halo of the Virgin Mary) helped to inspire him.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

This idea was never a serious one and the designer himself indicated that it was only a concept for an exercise and never intended as a genuine proposal to replace the present flag. The European Commission also stated that no plans were ever made to consider replacing the flag adopted from the Council of Europe.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)". Flags Of The World. 2004-10-28. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "The European Commission and religious values". The Economist. 2004-10-28. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Beunderman, Mark (2007-07-11). "MEPs defy member states on EU symbols". EU Observer. Retrieved 2007-07-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b "The European Flag". Europa (web portal). Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  5. ^ "The euro". European Central Bank. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  6. ^ "Comment - Georgia: Brussels on its mind". EU Observer. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  7. ^ "Saakashvili Sworn In as New President". Templeton Thorp. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  8. ^ "Belarus: Scores Arrested, Opposition Leader Hospitalized After Minsk Protests". rferl.org. 2004-10-20. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Graphical specifications for the European Emblem". Europa (web portal). Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  10. ^ "European Union: Myths on the flag". Flags Of The World. 2007-02-04. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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