NationMaster - Encyclopedia: European flag

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 was initially used by the Council of Europe (COE) and was intended to represent Europe as a whole as opposed to any particular organization such as the EU or the COE. Image File history File links European_flag. ... Image File history File links European_flag. ... Image File history File links FIAV_111000. ... The tricolour flag of France A flag is a piece of cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signalling or identification. ... The Palais de lEurope in Strasbourg Council of Europe Flag: used by the Council of Europe The Council of Europe (French: , German: ) is an international organization of 46 member states in the European region (with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Cyprus also extending into Southwest Asia and Russia into... Europe at its furthest extent, reaching to the Urals. ...

The flag appears on the face of all euro currency banknotes, and the stars on euro coins as well as driving licenses and license plates issued in the member countries of the EU. ISO 4217 Code EUR User(s) European Union: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. ...

History and design

The flag was originally adopted by the Council of Europe on December 8, 1955, from one of many designs attributed to Arsène Heitz[1]. 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. "Against the blue sky of the Western world, the stars represent the peoples of Europe in a circle, the 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." The Council of Europe from the beginning desired it to be used by other regional organizations seeking European integration. Image File history File links EU_Flag_specification. ... Image File history File links EU_Flag_specification. ... The Palais de lEurope in Strasbourg Council of Europe Flag: used by the Council of Europe The Council of Europe (French: , German: ) is an international organization of 46 member states in the European region (with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Cyprus also extending into Southwest Asia and Russia into... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On 11 April 1983 the European Parliament accepted the flag as the official emblem of the European Union. The European Community (EC) adopted it 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. April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The European Community (EC), most important of two European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Maastricht Treaty (formally, the Treaty on European Union) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht between the members of the European Community and entered into force on 1 November 1993, under the Delors Commission. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

However, even though it is adopted by the European Union, the Council of Europe 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 might debar the European Union from using the European flag in theory ^{[citation needed]}. The Palais de lEurope in Strasbourg Council of Europe Flag: used by the Council of Europe The Council of Europe (French: , German: ) is an international organization of 46 member states in the European region (with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Cyprus also extending into Southwest Asia and Russia into... In law, intellectual property (IP) is an umbrella term for various legal entitlements which attach to certain types of information, ideas, or other intangibles in their expressed form. ... Secretaries General of the Council of Europe: Terry Davis of the United Kingdom, in office since 1 September 2004 Walter Schwimmer of Austria, 1 September 1999 to 31 August 2004 Daniel Tarschys of Sweden, 1 June 1994 to 1 September 1999 Catherine LalumiÃ¨re of France, 1 June 1989 to...

Number 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. 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, 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[2] because of the ubiquity of the number for groups in European cultures and traditions such as: Saarland is one of the 16 states of Germany. ... Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... National flag and ensign. ... Look up twelve in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The number has led to a number of assertions that there is further meaning in the 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.[3] 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.[4] Chinese Celestial symbols on an antique bronze mirror Astronomical symbols are symbols used to represent various celestial objects, theoretical constructs and observational events in astronomy. ... The hour (symbol: h) is a unit of time. ... A clock (from the Latin cloca, bell) is an instrument for measuring time. ... Look up Month in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... The Twelve Apostles (, apostolos, Liddell & Scott, Strongs G652, someone sent forth/sent out) were men that according to the Synoptic Gospels and Christian tradition, were chosen from among the disciples (students) of Jesus for a mission. ... The Twelve Caesars is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire. ... This article is about the Roman historian. ... The twelve gods of Olympus. ... The Law of the Twelve Tables (Lex Duodecim Tabularum, more informally simply Duodecim Tabulae) was the ancient legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. ... Our Lady redirects here. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Visions of John of Patmos, as depicted in the TrÃ¨s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ...

Common mistakes

Examples of common mistakes

Proposals

Following the signing of the Treaty of Nice in May 2001, which made Brussels the official capital of the EU^{[citation needed]}, the then President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi and the Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt invited the designer Rem Koolhaas to discuss the necessities and requirements of a European capital. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (902x489, 51 KB) Summary Description: Future European Flag design (so-called Barcode) by Rem Koolhaas and his design-office OMA, used for the first time officially for the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in Spring 2006. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (902x489, 51 KB) Summary Description: Future European Flag design (so-called Barcode) by Rem Koolhaas and his design-office OMA, used for the first time officially for the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in Spring 2006. ... Treaty of Nice The Treaty of Nice is a treaty adopted in Nice by the European Council to amend the two founding treaties of the European Union: the Treaty on European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, which introduced the Euro and the 3-pillar structure of the EU; the Treaty of... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums[] Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area - City 162 (Region) kmÂ² (62. ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ... (born August 9, 1939) is a centre-left Italian politician. ... Guy Verhofstadt (helpÂ· info) (born April 11, 1953) is a Belgian politician and currently, the Prime Minister of Belgium. ... Seattle Central Library, designed by OMA Rem Koolhaas (born November 17, 1944 in Rotterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch architect, former journalist and screenwriter who studied architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. ...

During these talks and as an impetus for further discussion, Koolhaas and his architecture firm OMA suggested the development of a visual language. This idea inspired a series of drawings and drafts, including the "Barcode". The barcode tries to unite the flags of all the EU member countries into a single, colourful symbol. The Office for Metropolitan Architecture, in short OMA, is the architecture firm of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In the current European flag, there is a fixed number of stars. In the barcode, however, new Member States of the EU can be added without space constraints. Originally, the barcode displayed 15 EU countries. In 2004, the symbol was adapted to include the ten new Member States. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Since the time of the first drafts of the barcode it has never been officially used by commercial or political institutions. During the Austrian EU Presidency 2006 it was officially used for the first time, but only as part of the logo of the presidency, not as a new EU flag. The logo has already been used for the EU information campaign which will also be continued during the Austrian EU Presidency. Overall this design was badly received. People compared it to a beach towel, a packet of refresher sweets, wallpaper, the TV test card and deckchair fabric.[5] Presidency of the Council of the European Union refers to the responsibility of presiding over all aspects of the Council of the European Union, when exercised collectively by a government, on a pre-established rota of the member states, of the European Union. ...

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]} The Palais de lEurope in Strasbourg Council of Europe Flag: used by the Council of Europe The Council of Europe (French: , German: ) is an international organization of 46 member states in the European region (with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Cyprus also extending into Southwest Asia and Russia into...

Gallery

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2048, 1204 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

See also

Image File history File links European_flag. ... The Council of Europe (COE) has developed a series of European symbols for the continent of Europe, and these have since been shared with the European Union (EU). ... This is a list of international and national flags used in Europe. ...

Footnotes

External links

v • d • e

Flags of Europe

Albania · Andorra · Armenia² · Austria · Azerbaijan¹ · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus² · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia¹ · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan¹ · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia¹ · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey¹ · Ukraine · United Kingdom · Vatican City Screenshot of the Flags of the World website Official flag Flags of the World (or FOTW) is the Internets largest website devoted to vexillology, containing comprehensive information about all kinds of flags. ... This is a list of international and national flags used in Europe. ... Flag ratio: 1:2 The Flag of the Republic of Macedonia represents a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to the edges of the red field. ... Flag of Montenegro (2004â€“present) The flag of Montenegro was changed on 12 July 2004 by the Parliament of Montenegro into a red banner bearing the coat of arms adopted in 1993. ... The flag of Serbia is a tricolour with Pan-Slavic colours. ...

Dependencies, autonomies and other territories
Abkhazia¹ · Adjara¹ · Åland · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey · Kosovo · Nagorno-Karabakh¹ · Nakhichevan¹ · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus² A dependent territory, dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a State. ... An autonomous area is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy. ... Types of political territories include: A legally administered territory, which is a non-sovereign geographic area that has come under the authority of another government. ... In the red canton, the open hand represents Abkhaz nationhood. ... On 20 July 2004, the Supreme Council of the Ajarian Autonomous Republic, Georgia ratified a new flag for the region. ... Flag of Ã…land The flag of Ã…land points to the location of the islands - it is the Swedish flag with an additional red cross symbolising Finland. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 The Union Flag (commonly, the Union Jack) is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. ... Flag ratio: 1:2 The flag of Crimea is in use since 1992 and was officially adopted on April 21, 1999. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 The flag of Nagorno-Karabakh, an unrecognised self-proclaimed government in a region of Azerbaijan, is identical to the flag of Armenia, with only a white pattern added. ... The Flag of Nakhichevan is officially that of Azerbaijan, but there was one used in 1991 by seperatist groups in Nakhichevan during the breakup of the former Soviet Union. ... TRNC Flag The flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is based on the flag of Turkey with the colors reversed and two horizontal red stripes added at the top and bottom. ...

¹ Has significant territory in Asia. ² Entirely in West Asia, considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Contents

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