Latvia · 30 years of the EU flag

Issue date3 Nov 2015

Total mintage1,010,000

EU maximum1,010,000

Editions2

Edge letteringDIEVS ★ SVĒTĪ ★ LATVIJU

InscriptionLATVIJA / 1985-2015 / GS

DesignerGeorgios Stamatopoulos

mintStaatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin marks the 30th anniversary of the EU flag. The design depicts the flag as a symbol of the connection between peoples and cultures sharing common ideas and ideals; twelve stars take the form of people and welcome the birth of a new Europe. Also shown are “LATVIJA”, the years “1985-2015” and the initials of the designer Georgios Stamatopoulos.

The design

The design depicts the EU flag as a symbol bringing together peoples and cultures with shared ideas and ideals for shaping a better future. Twelve stars take the form of people and welcome the birth of a new Europe. At the top right along the coin ring, the issuing country “LATVIJA” and the years “1985-2015” can be seen. The designer’s initials (Georgios Stamatopoulos) are shown at the bottom right.

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

Background on the topic

The year 1985 does not refer to the creation of the star motif. The Council of Europe had already adopted the blue flag with twelve gold stars as its own emblem in 1955. The Council of Europe is an international organisation independent of the European Union. It is primarily concerned with human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Three decades later, the then European Communities adopted the symbol. At the 1985 Milan Summit, the heads of state or government approved its use by the Communities; from 1986 onwards, it was displayed in front of the European institutions. The European Union, founded in 1993, retained the emblem. The 2015 anniversary therefore commemorated the adoption of the already existing European flag by the predecessor organisations of the EU.

The number of stars does not correspond to the number of member states. It therefore remained unchanged during the various rounds of enlargement. In official symbolism, the number twelve stands for completeness, while the circular arrangement expresses unity, solidarity and togetherness. Golden stars on a blue background thus became a recognisable symbol of European institutions, programmes and external borders.

The coin was part of a joint issue by the countries of the euro area. Such joint issues differ from ordinary national 2-euro commemorative coins in that all participating countries use the same basic design; only the respective country designation and certain prescribed details are adapted. The anniversary was a suitable occasion because the flag does not refer to the history of a single state but is used by all EU member states.

The design emerged from a competition among European mints. A panel of experts selected five designs for a public online vote. The winning design was created by Georgios Stamatopoulos, a designer at the Bank of Greece. For Latvia, the joint issue had an additional connection in terms of timing: the country had joined the European Union in 2004 and only began using the euro in 2014.