Symbols of the European Union
Symbol | EU | CoE |
---|---|---|
Flag | Yes | Yes |
Anthem | Yes | Yes |
Motto | Yes | No |
Europe Day |
9 May | 5 May |
The European Union (EU) uses a number of symbols, including the Flag of Europe, Anthem of Europe, Motto of the European Union and Europe Day.
These symbols have no official status based in the
Use of the Flag of Europe in particular is widespread also among pro-EU factions outside of the European Union, especially in the "
History
These symbols go back to 1985, when they were introduced by the European Communities summit in Milan. A "raft of cultural icons" was launched by the European Commission in 1985, in reaction to the report by the ad hoc commission "for a People's Europe" chaired by Pietro Adonnino. The aim was to facilitate European integration by fostering a Pan-European identity among the populations of the EC member states. The European Council adopted "Europe Day" along with the flag of Europe (technically not called a "flag" but an "emblem") and other items on 29 September 1985 in Milan.[1] Even at the time, there was strong objection against the European Communities adopting symbols of
There were plans to officially recognize these symbols as part of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe signed in 2004. As the proposed constitutional treaty failed ratification in two member states, the mention of all state-like emblems, including the flag, were removed from the replacement Treaty of Lisbon of 2007. Instead, a declaration was made by 16 Member States and included in the Intergovernmental Conference's final act adopting the Treaty of Lisbon stating that the flag, the anthem, the motto, the currency and Europe Day "will for them continue as symbols to express the sense of community of the people in the European Union and their allegiance to it":
Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic declare that the flag with a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background, the anthem based on the "Ode to Joy" from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, the motto "United in diversity", the euro as the currency of the European Union and Europe Day on 9 May will for them continue as symbols to express the sense of community of the people in the European Union and their allegiance to it.[3]
The European Parliament, objecting to the absence of the symbols from the Treaty of Lisbon, backed a proposal to use the symbols such as the flag more often in the Parliament with Jo Leinen MEP suggesting that the Parliament should again take the avant-garde in their use.[4]
In September 2008, the Parliament's
In 2017, the president of France Emmanuel Macron sent a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk which contained a declaration endorsing the symbols declaration of the Treaty of Lisbon.[7][8]
Flag
The flag of Europe is used to represent both the European Union and the Council of Europe. It consists of a circle of 12 golden (yellow) stars on a blue background. The blue represents the west, the number of stars represents completeness while their position in a circle represents unity. The stars do not vary according to the members of either organisation as they are intended to represent all the peoples of Europe, even those outside European integration.
The flag was designed by
Despite it being the flag of two separate organisations, it is often more associated with the EU, due to the EU's higher profile and heavy usage of the emblem. The flag has also been used to represent Europe in
Anthem
The European anthem is based on the prelude to "The Ode to Joy", 4th movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Due to the large number of languages in Europe, it is an instrumental version only, with the original German lyrics having no official status. The anthem was announced on 19 January 1972 by the Council of Europe, after being arranged by conductor Herbert von Karajan. The anthem was launched via a major information campaign on Europe Day, 5 May 1972.
It was adopted by European Community leaders in 1985. It does not replace national anthems, but is intended to celebrate their shared values.[10] It is played on official occasions by both the Council of Europe and the European Union.
Other scores associated with pan-Europeanism include the hymn of the
Europe Day
"Europe Day" is an observance on
Observance of "Europe Day" by national and regional authorities of member states greatly increased following the establishment of the EU in 1993. Germany in particular has gone beyond celebrating just the day, since 1995 extending the observance to an entire "Europe Week" (Europawoche) centered on 9 May. Choice of the date of foundation of the European Coal and Steel Community rather than that of the EU itself established a narrative in which Schuman's speech, is presented as anticipating the "ever closer union" pursued in later decades as historical inevitability or "vocation" of the EU.[11]
Motto
The European Union motto was translated into all 23 official languages in 2004.[13][14]
Symbols of European Union institutions
Several institutions, advisory bodies and agencies within the European Union have adopted distinct emblems and logos to represent themselves:
Institutions
-
Logo of the European Council and the Council of the European Union
-
Logo of the European Central Bank
-
Logo of the European Commission
-
Logo of the European Court of Auditors
-
Logo of the Court of Justice of the European Union
-
Logo of the European Parliament
Advisory bodies
-
Logo of the European Committee of the Regions
-
Logo of the European Economic and Social Committee
-
Logo used by the Political and Security Committee
-
Logo of the European Union Military Committee
Agencies
-
Logo of the European External Action Service
-
Logo of Frontex
European Coal and Steel Community flag
The ECSC made use of the stars in the ECSC flag.
The euro and its symbol
The euro, €, was not one of the original symbols created by the Council of Europe and is specific to the EU, but it has become a symbol since it replaced 12 national currencies in 2002.[15] It is now used by most EU Member States and hence it (along with its currency symbol) has become one of the most tangible symbols of European unity for citizens of the European Union (though this of course is not intended to apply to wider Europe as the others do).
Adoption by other organisations
There have been other pan-European organisations which have not adopted the same symbols as the Council of Europe or the European Union, or have symbols derived from these. The Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community (the first of the three European Communities) was developed around the same time as the Flag of Europe and shares the use of stars and the colour blue, but uses completely different arrangement and symbolism.
The Flag of the Western European Union (the European defence organisation) was derived from the Flag of Europe, altered for its own usage. The Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine predates them all, but its flag also uses the colour blue and a circle of stars, though with different symbolism.
See also
References
- ^ Nicole Scicluna, European Union Constitutionalism in Crisis, Routledge (2014), p. 55.
- ^ Nicole Scicluna, European Union Constitutionalism in Crisis, Routledge (2014), p. 56
- ^ Final Act, Official Journal of the European Union, 2007 C 306–2 , p. 267 Declaration 52, consolidated EU treaties
- ^ Beunderman, Mark (11 July 2007). "MEPs defy member states on EU symbols". EU Observer. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ "EU Parliament set to use European flag, anthem". EU Business. 11 September 2008. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- EU Observer. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ "Meeting of the EUROPEAN COUNCIL held on 19 October 2017". European Council. 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-02-03.EDER, FLORIAN (2017-10-19). "Manu joins EU flag club". Retrieved 2017-11-03.
- ^ Cross, Tony (2017-10-20). "Macron squares up to Eurosceptics on EU flag, Brexit". Retrieved 2017-11-03.
- ^ Mite, Valentinas (20 October 2004). "Belarus: Scores Arrested, Opposition Leader Hospitalized After Minsk Protests". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
- ^ Emblemes Archived 6 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ F. Larat, "Present-ing the Past: Political Narratives on European History and the Justification of EU Integration", German Law Journal 6.2 (2005), 274–290, cited after Scicluna (2014:56).
- ISBN 9780877193814. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ European motto In varietate concordia Archived 2009-03-19 at the Wayback Machine, Eurominority
- ^ "Devise européenne". Eurominority.eu. Archived from the original on 2012-05-26. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ Europe Day Europa