Germany · 30 years of the EU flag

The European flag did not originate within today’s European Union. The Council of Europe (Europarat), an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1949 to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law, introduced the emblem in 1955. The Council of Europe is institutionally separate from the European Union and comprises more states than the latter. The design consists of a circle of gold stars on a blue background.

The number twelve refers neither to the number of member states of the Council of Europe nor to that of the later European Communities. It was chosen as a fixed symbolic number intended to express unity and completeness. Therefore, the number of stars did not change with the enlargements of the European Communities and the European Union.

In the 1980s, the European Communities sought to make their political cooperation more visible to the public. A committee appointed by the European Council for a “People’s Europe” proposed common signs and public symbols. In 1985, the heads of state or government approved the adoption of the emblem already used by the Council of Europe. The Community institutions had used the flag since 1986. The European Union itself was not established until the Treaty of Maastricht entered into force in 1993. The designation “EU flag” is therefore also used retrospectively for the 1985 decision.

Together with the European Anthem, Europe Day on 9 May and the motto “United in diversity”, the flag is one of the commonly used European symbols. A separate article on these symbols was envisaged in the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Following its failure, it was not incorporated into the Treaty of Lisbon. However, several member states, including Germany, expressly affirmed their commitment to them in a declaration annexed to the treaty.

The anniversary was suitable for a joint coin issue because the flag does not refer to a single member state but is used by the EU institutions and all member countries. This made it possible for the same occasion to appear on the national sides of several euro coins, while the coins continued to be issued by the individual states.