Greece · 30 years of the EU flag

Issue date23 Dec 2015

Total mintage750,000

EU maximum750,000

Editions3

Edge letteringΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ + ★

Inscription1985-2015

DesignerGeorgios Stamatopoulos

mintBank of Greece - Mint, Halandri

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin marks the 30th anniversary of the EU flag from 1985 to 2015. The design depicts the EU flag as a symbol of shared ideas and ideals; twelve stars take the form of people and welcome the birth of a new Europe. The design was created by Georgios Stamatopoulos.

The design

The design depicts the EU flag as a symbol that brings peoples and cultures together through shared ideas and ideals for shaping a better future. Twelve stars take on the shape of people and welcome the birth of a new Europe. In the upper right along the coin ring, the issuing state HELLENISCHE REPUBLIK in Greek script and the years “1985-2015” can be seen. The mint mark is located between the flag and the year indications. The designer’s initials (Georgios Stamatopoulos) are shown in the lower right.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.

Background on the topic

The design known today as the European flag did not initially originate within the European Union (Europäische Union). The Council of Europe (Europarat), an international organisation independent of the European Union, adopted it as its emblem in 1955. The European Communities (Europäische Gemeinschaften) initially used their own symbols. It was only in 1985 that their heads of state and government decided to adopt the flag as a symbol as well. The anniversary refers to this year of political adoption.

The number of stars corresponded neither then nor later to the number of member states. Twelve was chosen as a fixed, symbolic number intended to express unity and completeness. The circle of stars therefore remained unchanged during the various rounds of enlargement. The stars are all the same size and arranged in a circle; this is intended to ensure that no state or member is given prominence over another.

When the European Communities adopted the flag, European cooperation primarily comprised economic and institutional structures. The European Union under this name was only established by the Treaty of Maastricht (Vertrag von Maastricht), which entered into force in 1993. Nevertheless, the flag became a generally recognisable symbol of the European institutions. It appears, among other places, on their buildings, at official events and together with the respective national flags.

The 2015 coin issue was designed as a joint issue by the states of the euro area. Such common issues combine an identical basic design with the respective prescribed national inscriptions. The occasion was suitable for this because the flag does not refer to the history of a single country, but to institutional and political cooperation in Europe. At the same time, the joint minting established a connection between two symbols used throughout Europe: the flag and the common currency. The anniversary therefore did not commemorate the initial design of the circle of stars in 1955, but its adoption by the European Communities three decades later.