Slovakia · 30 years of the EU flag

Issue date24 Sept 2015

Total mintage1,000,000

EU maximum1,000,000

Editions2

Edge letteringSLOVENSKÁ REPUBLIKA + ★ + Linden leaf + ★

InscriptionSLOVENSKO / 1985-2015 / MK / GS

DesignerGeorgios Stamatopoulos

mintMincovna Kremnica, š.p., Kremnica / Slovakia

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 the inscription “SLOVENSKO”, the years “1985-2015”, the mintmark of Mincovňa Kremnica and the initials of the designer 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 the form of people and welcome the birth of a new Europe. Along the upper right of the coin ring, the issuing country “SLOVENSKO” and the years “1985-2015” can be seen. The mintmark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the mark “MK” between two dies, is located on the right between the flag and the dates. The initials of the designer (Georgios Stamatopoulos) are shown at the lower right. The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.

Background on the topic

The European flag was not originally created within the framework of the European Union, but by the Council of Europe, a European organisation founded in 1949 and independent of the EU. Its Committee of Ministers adopted the symbol with twelve golden stars on a blue background in 1955. The circle represents unity and solidarity. The number twelve was established from the outset and does not indicate the number of member states. It has traditionally been associated with completeness and cohesion.

The European Communities at that time initially used no uniform emblem. The European Parliament adopted the flag in 1983. Two years later, the heads of state or government of the member states approved its use by the European Communities. The anniversary therefore refers to 1985, although the design was already three decades older. The European Union under its present name was not established until 1993, with the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty.

As the European Communities enlarged, the number of stars remained unchanged. This meant that the flag could continue to be used without design changes after further countries joined. Today it is used by the institutions of the EU and appears, among other places, on public buildings, official documents, driving licences and euro banknotes.

The issue formed part of a joint commemorative coinage by the states of the euro area. Such joint issues commemorate occasions that do not concern just one country. Earlier series were dedicated, for example, to the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, ten years of Economic and Monetary Union and ten years of euro cash.

For Slovakia, the European connection also had an additional national political dimension. The country joined the European Union in 2004 and introduced the euro in 2009. The coin thus placed the Slovak issue within a joint representation of European affiliation. The anniversary was an appropriate occasion because the flag had been used as an unchanging symbol of European cooperation despite changing membership numbers and institutional reforms.