Flag of Europe

The European flag consists of a circle of twelve golden mullets on an azure field. It was introduced in 1955 by the Euro Europe as its flag and adopted by the European Community in 1986. Today it is best known as the symbol of the European Union.

The number of stars, twelve is traditionally the symbol of perfection, completeness and unity. Only by chance she agreed between the adaptation of the flag by the EC in 1986 and expansion in 1995 with the number of Member States of the EC and therefore remained also unchanged afterwards.

History

The Euro Europe sought since its inception in 1949 for a suitable symbol for the growing together of Europe. On August 18, 1950, the Euro Europe discussed for the first time on the project an official flag for Europe. In the following period reached more than 200 proposals to the Euro Europe. The General Secretariat later put ten colored designs for discussion, including:

• The flag of the Pan-European Union of Count Coudenhove- Kalergi showing a golden sun ( symbol of the Enlightenment) with red cross (symbol of humanity) on a blue background. It was favored by most members, but was against the resistance of Turkey, which opposed each design with a cross, not be enforced.
• A draft of Duncan Sandys, the son of Winston Churchill, which shows a green (originally red ) "E" on a white background. The flag was hoisted for the first time in 1949 at a European economic conference in London and has been increasingly used as the European symbol and perceived as an official symbol. She was rejected as a pure literal too little emotional bond strength was attributed. Moreover, it was described by scoffers as " Churchill's underpants ." Today, it is emblem of the Europe Union Germany and several sister organizations in the Union of European Federalists. As of July 1984, the " Green E" could be used as a sticker for the windshield of a motor vehicle to indicate that only the citizens of the EEC in the car and not be carried dutiable goods; since the entry into force of the Schengen agreement, this badge is obsolete.
• A draft consisting of politicians and heraldists Committee, at the Olympic symbol eight silver interlocked and rings shows in attachment. He has been compared to a string of zeros and a telephone dial and ultimately also discarded.
• A design from Carl Weidl Raymon, which provides a single gold star on blue ground and first of Paul MG Lévy, who sighted as Director of Information and Press Service of the Euro Europe the proposals was favored. He was rejected in view of the similarity in particular with the former flag of the Congo ( Leopoldville ).

On September 25, 1953, the Consultative Assembly of the Council initially decided a flag of fifteen gold stars on a blue background, which should represent the number of former members of the Council of Europe. However, the opposed Germany, there would have been symbolically Saarland, one of the 15 members, recognized as a separate state. The Saarland and France in turn did not want to accept, as there were strong tendencies towards a state independence in Saarland 14 stars. The number of 13 stars was eliminated because the 13 was seen by many as an unlucky number. Also eliminated from ten stars, because they were regarded as a symbolization of the ten founding member states, which was not desired. So we finally agreed on the number twelve as simply a symbolic character.

The Consultative Assembly recommended the adoption of this draft by the Committee of Ministers on 25 October 1955 ( Recommendation 88 (1955 ) ). The Committee of Ministers adopted the flag and heraldic description on December 9, 1955 ( Resolution ( 55) 32) on 13 December 1955, she was officially introduced in Paris.

The Consultative Assembly of the Council called for the adoption of resolution 1955 on the other European institutions, adopt the same flag; on the initiative Ingo Friedrich, CSU MEP and longtime Vice President of the European Parliament, then presented on 31 October 1979 18 Members of the European Parliament to apply for " the creation of a European flag for the European Community".

In November 1979, the European Parliament commissioned the CDU MEPs Kai- Uwe von Hassel in an official parliamentary report, to solve the problem of flags. The aim should be to abolish the existing heterogeneity. Until that time, almost all the European institutions had its own flag in use.

On April 11, 1983 accepted to take over the flag used by the Euro Europe until then by an overwhelming majority a resolution to the European Parliament. Also, the final report of the Adonino Committee proposed the adoption of the Euro Europe flag, which was adopted by the European Council in Milan in June 1985.

After the Euro Europe had signaled its agreement and had agreed to the other institutions of the European Community, the new flag was first hoisted solemnly before the European Commission building to the sounds of the European Anthem on 29 May 1986.

The flag is the only symbol of the European Commission. The other EU institutions additionally use their own emblems.

In the meantime rejected European Constitution, the European flag was set as the official symbol of the Union. At the instigation of the UK but diving in the future to not have an official anthem other official symbols like this flag in the EU Reform Treaty, to which the European Council agreed in October 2007. However, the European flag thus far will also continue to act as ( almost official ) of the EU symbol.

The Bundestag President Norbert Lammert changed with the approval of the German Bundestag, the Instructions for flagging of buildings. Since May 9, 2011 in addition a European flag is hoisted in front of the East and West entrances of the Reichstag building to the federal flag ever. Another European flag is hoisted on the southeastern tower of the Reichstag building, while the other three towers are flagged with the German flag.

Flag of the Coal and Steel Community

The European Coal and Steel Community ( ECSC short or ECSC ) used its own flag, as the current European flag was still being specifically assigned to the Euro Europe. The ECSC flag was also a blue and a black stripe, each with a number of stars in it. The blue stripe stood for the iron, the black of the coal and the stars for the members. The latter led to the fact that their number changed over the years.

Flag of the ECSC from 1973 accessions of Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom

Flag of the ECSC from 1981 Accession of Greece

Flag of the ECSC from 1986 Accession of Portugal and Spain

Since the expiry of the ECSC Treaty 2002, the flag is obsolete.

Flag of the Western European Union

Also founded in 1948 as the Brussels Pact Western European Union had its own flag. At its foundation, she used a flag, which showed a red, a golden, one black, one white and one blue square with each other. In the blue, inner quadrangle is further were five interlocking rings, which stood for the five founding members (France, UK, Benelux ). With the expansion of the Western European Union, a new flag was introduced. This had now a pure blue flag with the French and English abbreviation of Western European Union in the middle. Therefore, in a semi-circle of nine stars were arranged, which stood for the past nine members. With the accession of Greece in 1995, a tenth star was added.

Flag of the WEU to 1993 accessions of Germany and Italy in 1954 and Spain and Portugal in 1990

Flag of the WEU to 2011 accession of Greece in 1995

Since the dissolution of the Western European Union in late June 2011, this flag is obsolete

Authorship

Arsène Heitz, an employee of the postal service of Europe, who had presented a number of draft is sometimes referred to as the originator of the flag and claimed in an interview and even to its author. In the archives there are many designs of Heitz with stars, but with 15, 16, 11 and 13 stars in a different arrangement. Paul M. G. However, Levy challenged the authorship Heitzs in an interview, claiming that he himself had already suggested the flag with twelve stars, before it was adopted by the Euro Europe so, and have made ​​the final drawing.

It is clear that Heitz and Lévy together and Hanno F. Konopath obviously had submitted the draft with 15 stars nearly the same time, which was initially adopted by the Consultative Assembly. Whether Heitz or Lévy ultimately was the author of the flag with twelve stars, is currently unknown.

In addition, also claims the former head of the European Community - Graphic Arthur Eisenmenger to have designed the blue EU flag with white star wreath.

Official symbolism

In the official explanation of the decision of the Committee of Ministers on 9 December 1955 adoption of the flag states to symbols:

" Against the blue sky of the Western world are the stars the peoples of Europe in a circle, the sign of unity, represents the number of stars is fixed set at twelve, this number symbolizes the perfection and completeness ... How the twelve signs of the zodiac embody the entire universe, so are the twelve golden stars all the peoples of Europe, even those who can not participate in the construction of Europe in unity and peace. "

Unofficial interpretations

Occasionally, the flag is interpreted against a Christian- biblical background. So, as a deviation from the official rationale that generally refers to the Twelve as a symbol of perfection and completeness, and blue as the color of the sky, a certain Christian symbols have been modeled. Arsène Heitz, one of the possible designers of the flag (see above), stated in a 2004 interview in the magazine " Lourdes ", he had been inspired by the Book of Revelation, is described in a crown of twelve stars.

The issue raised in the interview point of the Bible is:

" And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. "

In addition, since December 8, on which the Council of Ministers has the flag decided the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the color blue is traditionally regarded as the color of Mother of God and the apocalyptic woman referred to in the above-cited passage in the Bible is often equated with Mary (cf.. crescent Madonna ), some Catholic circles rely on this symbolism of the flag.

Furthermore, it is reported that Paul M. G. Lévy, a Belgian Jewish descent, given the temporary moving in Leuven numerous railroad trains, in which the Jews were transported by the German Gestapo to the east into an uncertain future, the vow was taken, that he, if he would survive the war alive, to the Catholic wanted to convert faith, which he then did. Lévy, who was the director of the Information and Press Service of the Euro Europe is, in 1955 passed a statue of Mary with a ring of stars. Illuminated by the sun, gleamed the golden stars on the blue sky. Lévy had then proposed to the then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Count Benvenuti, a Venetian Christian Democrats, to provide twelve golden stars on a blue background as a motive for the European flag to the vote. Benvenuti was enthusiastic about the proposal and a little later the proposal was generally accepted. Previously, in 1955 in the Euro Europe all designs included a cross around after the pattern of Scandinavian flags, been rejected by the Socialists for ideological reasons as to Christian.

According to another report was then general secretary, Leon Marchal, noticed when leaving the courtroom, where he previously the flag had prevailed with the reference to the twelve signs of the zodiac and the twelve months of the year, to Lévy that the European flag the like by chance referred to in the Apocalypse circle of stars wear.

Lévy himself has not confirmed these theories. In an interview Lévy explained that for him the symbolism of perfection and completeness, it should have been decisive alone. You see in the Zodiac, the twelve apostles, the twelve sons of Jacob, the hours of the day and the months of the year. Only years later he was made ​​to the Crown in the Revelation of John attentive. Also, the early one day decision on the feast day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was a coincidence. Later, another contingency have to pass in the hall of the Palais Barberini, where the European Convention on Human Rights was signed on 4 November 1950, is located in the center of the ceiling is a representation of the crown of twelve stars of the 17th century.

There also exist a number of other interpretations that may have played a role and now appear in part in the official descriptions of Europe and the EU: The twelve Olympian gods come from the Greek mythology, after the next to the name of the continent in itself, other European projects are named as the Ariane rocket or the anti- piracy mission Atalanta; the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve tablets of the first written Roman law as an expression of European legal community twelve months of a year or twelve hours, the clock, the legendary twelve labors of Hercules, and the product of " Three times four ," said three- the Trinity and the four for the four elements or directions are available.

Similarities with other flags

A similar circle of stars on a blue ground, but with 13 white stars, had the mast side upper corner ( Gosch ) in the so-called " Betsy Ross version of" The Flag of the United States from 1776 to 1795. Since the Flag Resolution of the then 13 colonies no special arrangement which provided for thirteen stars, there were different versions, and only at the Betsy Ross version of the stars were arranged in a circle. Also on the " Stars and Bars " flag of the Confederate States of America from March 4, 1861 were arranged in a circle on a blue background seven five -pointed stars.

Reproduction

The European emblem, the flag can be used freely by anyone. His geometric description arises from the adjacent drawing and the associated official explanation of the European Union:

" The emblem consists of a blue rectangular flag of which measures one and a half times the height. An invisible circle whose center is the intersection of the diagonals of the rectangle Twelve gold stars situated at equal distance. The circle radius is one third of the height. Each of the stars has five points which are the points of an invisible circle with a radius of 1/ 18 of the rectangle height. All the stars are upright, ie with one point facing upward, while two more in a straight line which is at right angles to the mast. The stars are arranged like the hours on the dial of a clock. Their number is invariable. "

The emblem is in the following colors: Pantone Reflex blue for the background and Pantone Yellow for the stars. PMS was chosen because it is widely used color definition. In four-color printing, the inks must be formed as follows: 100% Process Cyan Process Magenta plus 80 % for the blue and 100 % Process Yellow for the yellow. The RGB color values ​​for the background ( blue): 0/51/153 (hexadecimal: 003399 ) and the star (yellow): 255/204/0 (hexadecimal: FFCC00 ).

Common misrepresentation

It sometimes can be found flags, (incorrectly as adopted by some after the EU enlargement in 2004 ) or even on the current state show that incorrectly 15 (after the rejected draft), 25 stars 28 stars.

European Union Flag with 27 stars

Difficult following three misrepresentations can be seen, in which the stars are not properly aligned or positioned:

Star misaligned radially wreath - the star points must show upward in parallel all. See also: Rotating Stars

Star wreath twisted - when properly aligned the stars are at the same positions as the hours on a clock face.

Flagging public buildings

If possible, put the European flag at the flagging public buildings of the German federal authorities. The German Bundestag is before and on the Reichstag building in addition to the federal and the European flag, as well as in his Chamber.