flag of Europe

The blazon given by the EU in 1996 describe the design as: "On an azure field a circle of twelve golden mullets, their points not touching."{{in lang|fr}} [https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/guide_graphique_relatif_a_l_embleme_europeen_1996-fr-93eedaa0-b431-4ca8-ac7b-113ca01c0395.html Guide graphique relatif à l'emblème européen] (1996), p. 3: Description symbolique: Sur le fond bleu du ciel, les étoiles figurant les peuples d'Europe forment un cercle en signe d'union. Elles sont au nombre invariable de douze, symbole de la perfection et de la plénitude...Description héraldique: Sur fond azur, un cercle composé de douze étoiles d'or à cinq rais, dont les pointes ne se touchent pas.

cf. {{cite web |title=Graphical specifications for the European Emblem|publisher=European Commission|url=http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/graphics1_en.htm#symbol|access-date=4 August 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622134708/http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/graphics1_en.htm#symbol|archive-date=22 June 2006}}

The flag used is the Flag of Europe, which consists of a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background. Originally designed in 1955 for the Council of Europe, the flag was adopted by the European Communities, the predecessors of the present European Union, in 1986. The Council of Europe gave the flag a symbolic description in the following terms,{{cite web |title=Thirty-sixth meeting of the ministers' deputies: resolution (55) 32 |date=9 December 1955 |url=http://www.coe.int/t/dgal/dit/ilcd/fonds/themes/flags/Res(55)32_en.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528195931/http://www.coe.int/t/dgal/dit/ilcd/Fonds/Themes/Flags/Res%2855%2932_en.pdf |url-status=dead |publisher=Council of Europe |access-date=2 February 2008 |archive-date=28 May 2009}} though the official symbolic description adopted by the EU omits the reference to the "Western world":{{cite web |language=fr |url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/guide_graphique_relatif_a_l_embleme_europeen_1996-fr-93eedaa0-b431-4ca8-ac7b-113ca01c0395.html|title=Guide graphique relatif à l'emblème européen |year=1996 |page=3 |quote=Description symbolique: Sur le fond bleu du ciel, les étoiles figurant les peuples d'Europe forment un cercle en signe d'union. Elles sont au nombre invariable de douze, symbole de la perfection et de la plénitude...Description héraldique: Sur fond azur, un cercle composé de douze étoiles d'or à cinq rais, dont les pointes ne se touchent pas.}}{{cite web |title=Graphical specifications for the European Emblem |url=http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/graphics1_en.htm#symbol |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622134708/http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/graphics1_en.htm#symbol |url-status=dead |publisher=European Commission |access-date=4 August 2004 |archive-date=22 June 2006}}{{blockquote|Against the blue sky of the Western world, the stars symbolise the peoples of Europe in a form of a circle, a sign of union. Their number is invariably twelve, the figure twelve being the symbol of perfection and entirety.|Council of Europe. Paris, 7–9 December 1955.}}

Other symbolic interpretations have been offered based on the account of its design by Paul M. Levy. The five-pointed star is used on many national flags and represents aspiration and education. Their golden colour is that of the sun, which is said to symbolise glory and enlightenment.{{Cite web|url=https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/e/european-union-flag.php|title=European Union Flag : University of Dayton, Ohio|website=udayton.edu|access-date=20 February 2019}}

Their arrangement in a circle represents the constellation of Corona Borealis and can be seen as a crown and the stability of government. The blue background resembles the sky and symbolises truth and the intellect. It is also the colour traditionally used to represent the Virgin Mary. In many paintings of the Virgin Mary as Stella Maris she is crowned with a circle of twelve stars.

{{further|Crown of Immortality|Circle of stars}}

{{multiple image

| align = right

| image1 = Statue of Virgin Mary in the Cathedral of Strasbourg.jpg

| width1 = 165

| caption1 = Statue of the Blessed Virgin in Strasbourg Cathedral (1859)

| image2 =

| width2 = 210

| caption2 = Blessing Madonna, the stained glass window donated by the Council of Europe to Strasbourg Cathedral in 1956.{{cite web |title=Large full version of the window |publisher=venez-chez-domi.fr |url=http://www.venez-chez-domi.fr/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/32-abside-notre-dame-de-strasbourggrande.jpg |access-date=28 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227042738/http://www.venez-chez-domi.fr/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/32-abside-notre-dame-de-strasbourggrande.jpg |archive-date=27 February 2009}}

}}

File:Shield of Dom Guéranger.svg (1805–1875)p. 309 of [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k374920v/f315.image "Armorial des prélats Français du XIXème siècle"]]]

In 1987, following the adoption of the flag by the EC, Arsène Heitz (1908–1989), one of the designers who had submitted proposals for the flag's design, suggested a religious inspiration for it. He stated that the circle of stars was based on the iconographic tradition of showing the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Woman of the Apocalypse, wearing a "crown of twelve stars".Carlo Curti Gialdino, I Simboli dell'Unione europea, Bandiera – Inno – Motto – Moneta – Giornata. Roma: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato S.p.A., 2005. {{ISBN|88-240-2503-X}}, pp. 80–85. Gialdino is here cited after a translation of the Italian text published by the Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l'Europe ([http://www.cvce.eu/obj/carlo_curti_gialdino_the_symbols_of_the_european_union_origin_of_the_design_for_the_european_flag-en-df9f9dde-98a3-461b-a8a8-8f9c13012343.html cvce.eu]):

Irrespective of the statements by Paul M. G. Levy and the recent reconstruction by Susan Hood, crediting Arsène Heitz with the original design still seems to me the soundest option. In particular, Arsène Heitz himself, in 1987, laid claim to his own role in designing the flag and to its religious inspiration when he said that 'the flag of Europe is the flag of Our Lady' [Magnificat magazine, 1987].

Secondly, it is worth noting the testimony of Father Pierre Caillon, who refers to a meeting with Arsène Heitz. Caillon tells of having met the former Council of Europe employee by chance in August 1987 at Lisieux in front of the Carmelite monastery. It was Heitz who stopped him and declared "I was the one who designed the European flag. I suddenly had the idea of putting the 12 stars of the Miraculous Medal of the Rue du Bac on a blue field. My proposal was adopted unanimously on 8 December 1955, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I am telling you this, Father, because you are wearing the little blue cross of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima".

Heitz also made a connection to the date of the flag's adoption, 8 December 1955, coinciding with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Paul M. G. Lévy, then Director of Information at the Council of Europe responsible for designing the flag, in a 1989 statement maintained that he had not been aware of any religious connotations.{{cite web |title=European Union: Myths on the flag |orig-year=1995 |year=2002 |publisher=Flags of the World |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/eu!myt.html |access-date=4 August 2007}} "While Count Coudenhove-Kalergi in a personal statement maintained that three leading Catholics within the Council had subconsciously chosen the twelve stars on the model of Apocalypse 12:1, Paul M.G. Lévy, Press Officer of the Council from 1949 to 1966, explained in 1989 that there was no religious intention whatsoever associated with the choice of the circle of twelve stars." Peter Diem, 11 June 2002.

In an interview given 26 February 1998, Lévy denied not only awareness of the Marian connection, but also denied that the final design of a circle of twelve stars was Heitz's. To the question "Who really designed the flag?" Lévy replied:

I did, and I calculated the proportions to be used for the geometric design. Arsène Heitz, who was an employee in the mail service, put in all sorts of proposals, including the 15-star design. But he submitted too many designs. He wanted to do the European currencies with 15 stars in the corner. He wanted to do national flags incorporating the Council of Europe flag.

Carlo Curti Gialdino (2005) has reconstructed the design process to the effect that Heitz's proposal contained varying numbers of stars, from which the version with twelve stars was chosen by the Committee of Ministers meeting at Deputy level in January 1955 as one out of two remaining candidate designs.

Lévy's 1998 interview apparently gave rise to a new variant of the Marian anecdote. An article published in {{lang|de|Die Welt}} in August 1998 alleged that it was Lévy himself who was inspired to introduce a Marian element as he walked past a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.{{cite news |last=Pinzka |first=Thomas |url=https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article625491/Der-Sternenkranz-ist-die-Folge-eines-Geluebdes.html |title=Der Sternenkranz ist die Folge eines Gelübdes |trans-title=The crown of stars is the result of a vote |newspaper=Die Welt |date=26 August 1998 |access-date=3 November 2018|language=de}}

An article posted in La Raison in February 2000 further connected the donation of a stained glass window for Strasbourg Cathedral by the Council of Europe on 21 October 1956. This window, a work by Parisian master Max Ingrand, shows a blessing Madonna underneath a circle of 12 stars on dark blue ground.{{cite web |title=L'origine chrétienne du drapeau européen |publisher=atheisme.org |url=http://www.atheisme.org/drapeau.html |access-date=21 January 2009|language=fr}} The overall design of the Madonna is inspired by the banner of the cathedral's Congrégation Mariale des Hommes, and the twelve stars are found on the statue venerated by this congregation inside the cathedral (twelve is also the number of members of the congregation's council).{{cite web |title=Congrégation Mariale des Hommes |date=4 February 2004 |publisher=Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg |url=http://www.cathedrale-strasbourg.fr/congregation_mariale.aspx |access-date=24 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114001435/http://www.cathedrale-strasbourg.fr/congregation_mariale.aspx |archive-date=14 November 2008 |url-status=dead |language=fr}} The Regional Office for Cultural Affairs describe this stained glass window called "Le vitrail de l'Europe de Max Ingrand" (The Glass Window of Europe of Max Ingrand).{{cite web |title=Le vitrail de l'Europe de Max Ingrand |publisher=DRAC Alsace |url=http://docpatdrac.hypotheses.org/jep-2015/jep2015-20-vitrail-europe-max-ingrand |access-date=14 October 2017|language=fr}}

File:EU Flag specification.svg

According to graphical specifications published online by the Council of Europe in 2004, the flag is rectangular with 2:3 proportions: its fly (width) is one and a half times the length of its hoist (height). Twelve yellow stars are centred in a circle (the radius of which is a third of the length of the hoist) upon a blue background. All the stars are upright (one point straight up), have five points and are spaced equally, like the hour positions on the face of a clock. The diameter of each star is equal to one-ninth of the height of the hoist.{{cite web |title=Graphical specifications for the European flag |publisher=Council of Europe |url=http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/flag_guide.asp#TopOfPage |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040612082135/http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/flag_guide.asp#TopOfPage |archive-date=12 June 2004 |url-status=dead }} "PANTONE REFLEX BLUE corresponds in the web-palette colour RGB:0/0/153 (hexadecimal: 000099) and PANTONE YELLOW corresponds in the web-palette colour RGB:255/204/0 (hexadecimal: FFCC00)."

The colours are regulated in the 1996 guide by the EC, and equivalently in the 2004 guide by the Council of Europe. The base colour of the flag is defined as Pantone "Reflex Blue", while the golden stars are portrayed in Pantone "Yellow":

The 2013 logo of the Council of Europe has the colours:[http://www.coe.int/02/Logo/CoE-Charte-graphique-V1-2013-EN.pdf Council of Europe's new visual identity- Guide], Council of EUrope, 2013.

The twelve-star "flag of Europe" was designed in 1950 and officially adopted by the Council of Europe in 1955. The same flag was adopted by the European Parliament in 1983. The European Council adopted it as an "emblem" for the European Communities in 1985. Its status in the European Communities was inherited by the European Union upon its formation in 1993. The proposal to adopt it as official flag of the European Union failed with the ratification of the European Constitution in 2005, and mention of all emblems suggesting statehood was removed from the Treaty of Lisbon of 2007, although sixteen member states signed a declaration supporting the continued use of the flag.Final Act, [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:306:0231:0271:EN:PDF Official Journal of the European Union, 2007 C 306–2, p. 267] Declaration 52, consolidated EU treaties. In 2007, the European Parliament officially adopted the flag for its own use.{{cite web|title=EU Parliament set to use European flag, anthem|publisher=EU Business|date=11 September 2008|url=http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1221140822.65|access-date=12 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912123052/http://eubusiness.com/news-eu/1221140822.65 |archive-date=12 September 2008}} The proposal was passed on 8 October 2008 by 503 votes to 96 (15 abstentions). {{cite news |first=Lucia |last=Kubosova |title=No prolonged mandate for Barroso, MEPs warn |newspaper=EUobserver |date=9 October 2008 |url=http://euobserver.com/9/26899|access-date=9 October 2008}}{{contradictory inline|date=May 2018}}

File:Strasbourg-76 allée de la Robertsau (3).jpg on Villa Schutzenberger, seat of the European Audiovisual Observatory, an institution within the Council of Europe (2011 photograph)]]

The Council of Europe in 1950 appointed a committee to study the question of adopting a symbol.

Numerous proposals were looked into.

Among the unsuccessful proposals was the flag of Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi's International Paneuropean Union, which he had himself recently adopted for the European Parliamentary Union.{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.coe.int/t/dgal/dit/ilcd/Historical_Content/flag/3.pdf Letter to the secretary general of the Council of Europe from Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi], Council of Europe.

The design was a blue field with a red cross inside an orange circle at the centre.

Kalergi was very committed to defending the cross as "the great symbol of Europe's moral unity", the Red Cross in particular being "recognized by the whole world, by Christian and non-Christian nations[,] as a symbol of international charity and of the brotherhood of man",Johan Fornäs, Signifying Europe (2012), [https://books.google.com/books?id=PG73B_1Xha4C&pg=PA131 p. 131]. but the proposal was rejected by Turkey (a member of the Council of Europe since 1949) on grounds of its religious associations[http://www.fahnenversand.de/fotw/flags/eu_ce.html Council of Europe] fahnenversand.de in spite of Kalergi's suggestion of adding a crescent alongside the cross to overcome the Muslim objections.{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.coe.int/t/dgal/dit/ilcd/Historical_Content/flag/f_d204.pdf Letter from Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi regarding a Muslim modification to the Pan-Europa flag design], Council of Europe.

Other proposals included the flag was the European Movement, which had a large green E on a white background,[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/eu%7Dmov.html European Movement] crwflags.com [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/eu!1.html Proposals for the European flag] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715135147/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/eu%211.html |date=15 July 2007}} crwflags.com

a design was based on the Olympic rings, eight golden rings on a blue background, rejected due to the rings' similarity with "dial", "chain" and "zeros", or a large yellow star on a blue background, rejected due to its equality with the flag of the Belgian Congo.

The Consultative Assembly narrowed their choice to two designs. One was by Salvador de Madariaga, the founder of the College of Europe, who suggested a constellation of stars on a blue background{{cite web |title=The European flag: questions and answers |editor=CVCE |url=http://www.cvce.eu/education/unit-content/-/unit/eeacde09-add1-4ba1-ba5b-dcd2597a81d0/2b4e569f-9aa3-48dd-b877-13d0d5f1d177/Resources#39d51e24-2e68-4497-b81e-7a08e09ee0d7_en&overlay |access-date=25 June 2014}} (positioned according to capital cities, with a large star for Strasbourg, the seat of the council). He had circulated his flag round many European capitals and the concept had found favour.

The second was a variant by Arsène Heitz, who worked for the council's postal service and had submitted dozens of designs,{{cite web |title=Lettre d'Arsène Heitz à Filippo Caracciolo (Strasbourg, 5 janvier 1952) |publisher=CVCE |url=http://www.cvce.eu/education/unit-content/-/unit/eeacde09-add1-4ba1-ba5b-dcd2597a81d0/2b4e569f-9aa3-48dd-b877-13d0d5f1d177/Resources#6b758d67-f606-4ac9-90fc-3339fe66a76c_en&overlay |access-date=25 June 2014}} one of which was accepted by the Assembly. The design was similar to Salvador de Madariaga's, but rather than a constellation, the stars were arranged in a circle. Arsène Heitz was one of several people who proposed a circle of gold stars on a blue background.{{cite web |title=Weekly broadcast of the Council of Europe, 6th October, 1953 |url=https://rm.coe.int/168092b324 |website=Council of Europe |access-date=17 August 2021}}{{cite book |title=Rejected: Designs for the European Flag |date=Dec 10, 2020 |publisher=Wirklichkeit Books |isbn=9783948200039 |pages=103–108}} None of his proposals perfectly match the design that was adopted.{{cite web |title=Proposals for European flags from Arsène Heitz (1952–1955) |url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/proposals_for_european_flags_from_arsene_heitz_1952_1955-en-3c8f111a-6be6-4111-a433-20f1a7f9fdba.html |website=CVCE |date=8 November 2011 |access-date=17 August 2021}} Paul Levy claims that he was the one who designed the template for the flag, not Arsène Heitz.

In 1987, Heitz would claim that his inspiration had been the crown of twelve stars of the Woman of the Apocalypse, often found in Marian iconography (see below).{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/printedition/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=3332056|title=Real politics, at last? |newspaper=The Economist|date=28 October 2004|access-date=14 August 2011}}

On 25 September 1953, the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe recommended that a blue flag with fifteen gold stars be adopted as an emblem for the organisation, the number fifteen reflecting the number of states of the Council of Europe.{{cite web |title=Recommendation 56(1) of the Consultative Assembly on the choice of an emblem for the Council of Europe (25 September 1953)|publisher=CVCE|url=http://www.cvce.eu/education/unit-content/-/unit/eeacde09-add1-4ba1-ba5b-dcd2597a81d0/2b4e569f-9aa3-48dd-b877-13d0d5f1d177/Resources#61695385-14bd-4f99-9e5f-efb8f9581c5e_en&overlay|access-date=25 June 2014}} West Germany objected to the fifteen-star design, as one of the members was Saar Protectorate, and to have its own star would imply sovereignty for the region.{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Sean |title=Memorandum on the Role of Irish Chief Herald Slevin in the Design of the European Flag |date=25 January 2006 |publisher=Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies |url=http://homepage.eircom.net/%7Eseanjmurphy/chiefs/euroflagmemo.html |access-date=2 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205083719/https://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/euroflagmemo.html |archive-date=5 December 2008}}{{Better source needed|reason=This website refers to a CoE website for its information, but that only contains the official reading about solidarity and harmony and all that; no political history of the flag.|date=March 2018}} The Committee of Ministers (the council's main decision-making body) agreed with the Assembly that the flag should be a circle of stars, but opted for a fixed number of twelve stars, "representing perfection and entirety". The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 25 October 1955 agreed to this. Paul M. G. Lévy drew up the exact design of the new flag.{{cite web |title=Account by Paul M. G. Lévy, a Belgian Holocaust survivor on the creation of the European flag|publisher=CVCE|url=http://www.cvce.eu/education/unit-content/-/unit/eeacde09-add1-4ba1-ba5b-dcd2597a81d0/2b4e569f-9aa3-48dd-b877-13d0d5f1d177/Resources#6d23210b-865d-4f02-b2ca-2c30b9ed0588_en&overlay|access-date=25 June 2014}} Officially adopted on 8 December 1955, the flag was unveiled at the Château de la Muette in Paris on 13 December 1955.{{cite web |title=Council of Europe's Emblems|publisher=Council of Europe|url=http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/flag.asp |access-date=16 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807045151/http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/flag.asp |archive-date=7 August 2007 |url-status=dead}}

File:Former Flag of the International Paneuropean Union.svg|Kalergi's Paneuropean Union proposal

File:Proposed flag for Europe, designed in 1954 by members of the Council of Europe.png|alt=Flag featuring 8 golden interlocked rings on a blue background.|"Eight rings" proposal, reminiscent of the Western Union Standard

File:Europe flag proposal 4.svg|"Single-star" proposal

File:Salvador de Madariaga Flag Proposal (01 December 1951).svg|Madariaga's "constellation" proposal

File:Proposed 15-star flag of Europe (1953).png|Fifteen-star proposal adopted by the Consultative Assembly in 1953

For the flag of the Council of Europe, many stylistic proposals were made in regards to colours and symbolism. These first proposals were made 19 January 1950 by Paul Levy in a letter to the Secretary-General. He proposed that the flag should contain a cross for several reasons. Firstly, the cross symbolizes roads crossing, and also represents the east, the west, the north, and the south with its arms. Furthermore, the cross appears in most of the European Council members' flags, and it is the oldest and most noble symbol in Europe. Moreover, the cross depicted Christianity. As far as the colours are concerned, he proposed them to be white and green, colours of the European Movement, which was of great significance since 1947. Green also depicted hope, and the green cross over a white background was a design that had not been used yet. Finally, Levy proposed that the arms of Strasbourg was an important element to be added as it represented where the council would be, and being located in the heart of the cross meant that the council was the point where the European roads met.{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016806998d8|title=Memorandum from Paul Levy to Jacques-Camille Paris (Secretary General) about having a cross on the European flag|date=19 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}

Shortly after this design considerations by Paul Levy, on 27 July 1950, Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, president of the Pan-European movement wrote a memorandum which contained some rules that a flag for such union should follow. The rules he stated where:{{cite news |title=Memorandum from Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi on the European flag (Gstaad, 27 July 1950) |url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/memorandum_from_richard_coudenhove_kalergi_on_the_european_flag_gstaad_27_july_1950-en-ad9469d5-d9cf-46ae-95e0-897f96f94195.html |access-date=31 January 2021 |work=CVCE.EU by UNI.LU |date=12 March 2012 |language=en}}

• It should be a symbol of our common civilisation.
• It should present a European emblem.
• It should not provoke any national rivalry.
• It should represent tradition.
• It should be beautiful and dignified.

After these statements, Coudenhove-Kalergi proposed that the Pan-European movement flag would be the perfect one to fit these criteria{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680699d97|title=Memorandum presented to the Council of Europe by Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi|date=26 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}

15 July 1951, the consultative assembly put forward a final memorandum on the European flag. The symbols proposed where the following{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069cb09|title=Memorandum of the Secretariat General on the European Flag|date=26 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}

• A cross: Symbol of Christianity, Europe's crossroads, reminiscent of the crusades, and present in half of the member state's flags.
• An "E": Used by the European Movement.
• A white star in a circle: Symbol used in 1944–45 by the armies of liberation.
• Multiple stars: Each star could represent a member. They could be green on a white background, white stars on a red background, or silver stars for associate members, and golden stars for full members.
• Strasbourg's Coat of Arms: To symbolize the official seat of the Council of Europe.
• A sun: It would represent dawning hope.
• A triangle: It would represent culture.

Furthermore, several colours were also proposed:

• Multi-coloured: It was proposed that the flag could contain all the colours the flags of the member states had.
• Green and White: These were the colours of the European Movement.
• Blue: Symbol of peace and neutrality, as other colours were already used for other movements such as black for mourning, red for bolshevism, or green for Islam.

In the end, the flag of Europe was chosen to have 12 five-pointed golden stars in a circle over a blue background, probably inspired by the Pan-European flag and other designs such as Salvador de Madariaga's and Arsène Heitz's proposals.

{{recentism|date=August 2019}}

File:Flag of Europe (vertical).svg

Following Expo 58 in Brussels, the flag caught on and the Council of Europe lobbied for other European organisations to adopt the flag as a sign of European unity.

The European Parliament took the initiative in seeking a flag to be adopted by the European Communities. Shortly after the first direct elections in 1979 a draft resolution was put forward on the issue. The resolution proposed that the Communities' flag should be that of the Council of Europe and it was adopted by the Parliament on 11 April 1983.

File:Flag of Europe Adonnino proposal.svg

The June 1984 European Council (the Communities' leaders) summit in Fontainebleau stressed the importance of promoting a European image and identity to citizens and the world. The European Council appointed an ad hoc committee, named "Committee for 'a People's Europe'" (Adonnino Committee).

This committee submitted a substantial report, including wide-ranging suggestions, from organising a "European lottery" to campaigning for the introduction of local voting rights for foreign nationals throughout Europe.[https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/resources/historicaldocument.faces/en/4659/html.bookmark Regarding The "Adonnino Report" – Report to the European Council by the ad hoc committee "On a People's Europe", A 10.04 COM 85, SN/2536/3/85]. Under the header of "strengthening of the Community's image and identity", the Committee suggested the introduction of "a flag and an emblem", recommending a design based on the Council of Europe flag, but with the addition of "a gold letter E" in the center of the circle of stars."bearing in mind the independence and the different nature of the two organizations, the Committee proposes to the European Council that the European Community emblem and flag should be a blue rectangle with, in the center, a circle of twelve five-pointed gold stars which do not touch, surrounding a gold letter E, of the design already used by the Commission." Adonnino Report, p. 31. The European Council held in Milan on 28/29 June 1985 largely followed the recommendations of the Adonnino Committee. But as the adoption of a flag was strongly reminiscent of a national flag representing statehood and was extremely controversial with some member states (in particular the United Kingdom, as the proposed flag closely resembled the Queen's personal standard), the Council of Europe's "flag of Europe" design was adopted, without the letter E, only with the official status of a "logo".Tobias Theiler, Political Symbolism and European Integration, Manchester University Press, 2005 [https://books.google.com/books?id=JMiqfaCXr50C&pg=PA61 p. 61–65]. This compromise was widely disregarded from the beginning, and the "European logo", in spite of the explicit language of giving it the status of a "logo", was referred to as the "Community flag" or even "European flag" from the outset."not a compromise that the Commission itself cared much to abide by: from the outset, it generally used the terms 'Community flag' or, bolder still, 'European flag'." Tobias Theiler, Political Symbolism and European Integration, Manchester University Press, 2005 [https://books.google.com/books?id=JMiqfaCXr50C&pg=PA6 p. 6].

The Communities began to use the "emblem" as its de facto flag from 1986, raising it outside the Berlaymont building (the seat of the European Commission) for the first time on 29 May 1986.{{cite web |title=Raising of the European flag in front of the Berlaymont (Brussels, 29 May 1986)|date=8 December 2011|publisher=CVCE|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/raising_of_the_european_flag_in_front_of_the_berlaymont_building_brussels_29_may_1986-en-8ac2b8f2-eaff-4f43-951a-a7aa21aa6b42.html|access-date=25 June 2014}}

The European Union, which was established by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 to replace the European Communities and encompass its functions, has retained de facto use of the "Community logo" of the EC. Technically and officially, the "European flag" as used by the European Union remains not a "flag" but "a Community 'logo' — or 'emblem' — [...] eligible to be reproduced on rectangular pieces of fabric".

Nicole Scicluna, European Union Constitutionalism in Crisis, Routledge (2014), [https://books.google.com/books?id=AYbZBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 p. 56].

In 1997, the "Central and Eastern Eurobarometer" poll included a section intending to "discover the level of public awareness of the European Union" in what were then candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Interviewees were shown "a sticker of the European flag" and asked to identify it. Responses considered correct were: the European Union, the European Community, the Common Market, and "Europe in general". 52% of those interviewed gave one of the correct answers, 15% gave a wrong answer (naming another institution, such as NATO or the United Nations), and 35% could or would not identify it.Countries polled: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia (joined 2004), Bulgaria and Romania (joined 2007). [http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/ceeb/ceeb_8.pdf Central and Eastern Eurobarometer, Issue 8], European Commission, March 1998.

{{anchor|Barcode flag}}File:Union-europea segun rem-koolhaas.svg

In 2002, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas designed a symbol, dubbed the "barcode", which displayed the colours of the national flags of the EU member states in vertical stripes. It was reported as a replacement for the European flag, which was not the intention. It was not adopted by the EU or any other organisation at the time, but an updated version was used in the visual identity of the Austrian EU Presidency in 2006.{{cite web |title=Down with EU stars, run up stripes |date=8 May 2002 |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1974721.stm}}{{cite web |title=EU barcode |work=OMA projects |url=https://www.oma.com/projects/eu-barcode}}{{cite web |title=Austrian EU Presidency Logo|date=21 October 2005 |publisher=Dexigner|url=https://www.dexigner.com/news/5578}}

The official status of the emblem as the flag of the European Union was to be formalised as part of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. However, as the proposed treaty failed ratification, the mention of all state-like emblems, including the flag, were not included in the replacement Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force in 2009.

Instead, a separate declaration by sixteen Member States was included in the final act of the Treaty of Lisbon stating that the flag, the anthem, the motto and 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, Luxembourg, 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." Final Act, [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:306:0231:0271:EN:PDF Official Journal of the European Union, 2007 C 306–2, p. 267]

In reaction to the removal of the flag from the treaty, the European Parliament, which had supported the inclusion of such symbols, backed a proposal to use these symbols "more often" on behalf of the Parliament itself; Jo Leinen, MEP for Germany, suggested that the Parliament should take "an avant-garde role" in their use.{{cite web |last=Beunderman |first=Mark |title=MEPs defy member states on EU symbols |newspaper=EUobserver |date=11 July 2007 |url=http://euobserver.com/9/24464 |access-date=12 July 2007}}{{clarify|date=January 2017}}

In September 2008, the Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs proposed a formal change in the institution's rules of procedure to make "better use of the symbols". Specifically, the flag would be present in all meeting rooms (not just the hemicycle) and at all official events.{{Cite web|title=EU Parliament set to use European flag, anthem |publisher=EU Business |date=11 September 2008 |url=http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1221140822.65 |access-date=12 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912123052/http://eubusiness.com/news-eu/1221140822.65 |archive-date=12 September 2008 |url-status=live}} The proposal was passed on 8 October 2008 by 503 votes to 96 (15 abstentions).{{Cite news|first=Lucia|last=Kubosova|title=No prolonged mandate for Barroso, MEPs warn |newspaper=EUobserver |date=9 October 2008 |url=http://euobserver.com/9/26899|access-date=9 October 2008}}

In 2015, a set of commemorative Euro coins was issued on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the emblem by the European Communities."To mark the 30th anniversary of the decision by EU leaders to adopt the flag as an EU emblem, the 19 euro area countries are issuing a special commemorative coin. Following an online competition held in 2015 by the European Commission, citizens and residents of the euro area selected the design created by Georgios Stamatopoulos, an engraver at the Bank of Greece. It comprises 12 stars that morph into human figures embracing the birth of a new Europe." ([https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/symbols/flag_en europa.eu])

{{further|Pan-Europeanism|Colour revolutions}}

In April 2004, the European flag was flown on behalf of the European Space Agency, by Dutch astronaut André Kuipers while on board the International Space Station, in reference to the Framework Agreement establishing the legal basis for co-operation between the European Space Agency and the European Union.{{cite web |title=Further steps towards a European space policy|publisher=European Space Agency|url=http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMJ0Z0DU8E_index_1.html#subhead3|access-date=11 February 2009}}

Following the 2004 Summer Olympics, President Romano Prodi expressed his hope "to see the EU Member State teams in Beijing [viz., the 2008 games] carry the flag of the European Union alongside their own national flag as a symbol of our unity".[http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-04-1052_en.htm?locale=EN Olympic Games 2004 – Congratulations from President Prodi, European Commission, 30 August 2004].

Use of the flag has also been reported as representing the European team at the Ryder Cup golf competition in the early 2000s, although most European participants preferred to use their own national flags."While some fans of the European players in golf's Ryder Cup unfurl the flag of the European Union, many persist in waving their national flags despite the multinational composition of the European team." Alan Bairner, Sport, Nationalism, and Globalization: European and North American Perspectives (2001), [https://books.google.com/books?id=tyruTIHJJIMC&pg=PA2 p. 2.]

{{cite web |last=Rachman|first=Gideon|title=The Ryder Cup and Euro-nationalism|date=22 September 2006|work=Financial Times|url=http://blogs.ft.com/rachmanblog/2006/09/the-ryder-cup-ahtml/|access-date=17 August 2008}}

The flag has been widely used by advocates of European integration since the late 1990s or early 2000s. It is often displayed in the context of Europe Day, on 9 May.

Outside the EU, it was used in the context of several of the "colour revolutions" during the 2000s. In Belarus, it was used on protest marches alongside the white-red-white flag and other flags of opposition movements, such as Zubr, during the protests of 2004–2006.{{cite news |last=Mite|title=Belarus: Scores Arrested, Opposition Leader Hospitalized After Minsk Protests|date=20 October 2004|publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|url=http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/10/340afaf0-ebf7-4a03-8a25-ebda21070598.html|access-date=5 August 2007}}

{{cite news |last1=Myers|first1=Steven Lee |last2=Chivers |first2=C.J. |title=Election is landslide for leader of Belarus|date=20 March 2006|work=International Herald Tribune|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/19/news/belarus.php|access-date=9 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515113728/http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/19/news/belarus.php |archive-date=15 May 2008}} The flag was used widely in a 2007 pro-EU march in Minsk.{{cite web |title=Belarusians had European March in Minsk |date=14 October 2007 |publisher=charter97.org |url=http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2007/10/14/674/ |access-date=25 November 2007}} Similar uses were reported from Moldova in 2009.{{failed verification|date=April 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7992259.stm|title=Romania slams Moldova's sanctions|date=9 April 2009|access-date=12 December 2017|website=News.bbc.co.uk}}

In Georgia, the flag has been on most government buildings since the coming to power of Mikheil Saakashvili (2007),{{cite news |last=Petersen |first=Alex |title=Comment – Georgia: Brussels on its mind |date=1 May 2007 |newspaper=EUobserver|url=http://euobserver.com/7/23969|access-date=1 May 2007}} who used it during his inauguration,{{cite news |last=Gutterman |first=Steve |title=Saakashvili Sworn in as New President |newspaper=The Moscow Times |url=http://oldtmt.vedomosti.ru/sitemap/free/2004/1/article/saakashvili-sworn-in-as-new-president/233386.html |date=26 January 2004 |access-date=5 December 2018 |archive-date=5 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205193351/http://oldtmt.vedomosti.ru/sitemap/free/2004/1/article/saakashvili-sworn-in-as-new-president/233386.html |url-status=dead }} stating: "[the European] flag is Georgia's flag as well, as far as it embodies our civilisation, our culture, the essence of our history and perspective, and our vision for the future of Georgia."{{cite web |last=Petersen |first=Alexandros |title=Georgia: Brussels on its mind |date=2 May 2007 |publisher=Global Power Europe |url=http://www.globalpowereurope.eu/2007/05/georgia-brussels-on-its-mind.html |access-date=25 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061020/http://www.globalpowereurope.eu/2007/05/georgia-brussels-on-its-mind.html |archive-date=28 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}

It was used in 2008 by pro-western Serbian voters ahead of an election.{{cite news |title=Photo from Reuters Pictures|date=9 May 2008|publisher=Reuters Images, on Daylife |url=http://www.daylife.com/photo/0aMZfuae7saPC/European_Union |access-date=9 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625171412/http://www.daylife.com/photo/0aMZfuae7saPC/European_Union |archive-date=25 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}

File:Euromaidan Kyiv 1-12-13 by Gnatoush 005.jpg waving Ukrainian and European flags during the Euromaidan demonstrations in 2013]]

The flag became a symbol of European integration of Ukraine in the 2010s, particularly after Euromaidan. Ukraine is not a part of the EU but is a member of the Council of Europe. The flag is used by the Cabinet of Ukraine, Prime Minister of Ukraine, and MFA UA during official meetings.{{Cite web |url=http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/photogallery/gallery?galleryId=247776574& |title=Government portal :: November 26, a meeting of the Government |access-date=8 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220638/http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/photogallery/gallery?galleryId=247776574& |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead}} It was flown during the 2013 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine,{{Cite news|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2013-12-09/revolution-euromaidan|title=Revolution on Euromaidan|last=Grätz|first=Jonas|date=9 December 2013|work=Foreign Affairs|access-date=3 April 2018 |issn=0015-7120}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2013/11/ukraine-and-eu-0|title=Politics of brutal pressure|date=23 November 2013|newspaper=The Economist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225010431/http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2013/11/ukraine-and-eu-0/|archive-date=25 December 2016}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/euromaidan-politics-ukraine/26648497.html|title=The Evolution Of Euromaidan|date=19 November 2014|publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403004926/https://www.rferl.org/a/euromaidan-politics-ukraine/26648497.html|archive-date=3 April 2018}}

and in 2016 by the pro-EU faction in the EU membership referendum campaigns in the United Kingdom.

The flag has also been adopted as a symbol for EU policies and expansionism by EU-sceptics.

In an early instance, Macedonian protesters burned "the flag of the EU" in the context of EU involvement in the 2001 insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia.The Times 27 June 2001, p. 14, cited after

Ian Jeffries, The Former Yugoslavia at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century: A Guide to the Economies in Transition, Routledge (2003), [https://books.google.com/books?id=sl-BAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA296 p. 296].

In the 2005 Islamic protests

against the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons, the Danish flag was most frequently burned, but (as the cartoons were reprinted in many European countries), some protesters opted for burning "the EU flag" instead.G. Delanty in: David Denney (ed.), Living in Dangerous Times: Fear, Insecurity, Risk and Social Policy (2009), [https://books.google.com/books?id=5c1WJamanfYC&pg=PA124 p. 124].

Protesters during the Greek government-debt crisis of 2012 "burned the EU flag and shouted 'EU out' ".Blaming Sara B. Hobolt, James Tilley, Europe?: Responsibility Without Accountability in the European Union (2014), [https://books.google.com/books?id=l9TQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 p. 3].

Burning of the EU flag has been reported from other anti-EU rallies since.e.g.

Jess Casey, [http://www.eveningecho.ie/corknews/Cork-group-burns-flag-during-anti-EU-rally-outside-City-Hall-50f2d444-88c8-494d-8fd1-7eb0392886a3-ds Cork group burns flag during anti-EU rally outside City Hall], Evening Echo, 10 May 2017

By the 2010s, the association of the emblem with the EU had become so strong that the Council of Europe saw it necessary to design a new logo, to "avoid confusion", officially adopted in 2013.

The EU emblem ("EU flag") is depicted on the euro banknotes.{{cite web |title=The euro |publisher=European Central Bank|url=http://www.ecb.int/bc/euro/html/index.en.html|access-date=4 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806010151/http://www.ecb.int/bc/euro/html/index.en.html |archive-date=6 August 2007 |url-status=dead}} Euro coins also display a circle of twelve stars on both the national and common sides.{{cite web |title=Euro coins |publisher=European Central Bank |url=http://www.ecb.int/bc/euro/coins/html/index.en.html |access-date=28 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224165324/http://www.ecb.int/bc/euro/coins/html/index.en.html |archive-date=24 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}

It is also depicted on many driving licences and vehicle registration plates issued in the Union.{{cite web |title=European Union: Legal use of the flag |date=10 September 2005 |publisher=Flags of the World |url=http://www.allstates-flag.com/fotw/flags/eu_law.html |access-date=29 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118061239/http://www.allstates-flag.com/fotw/flags/eu_law.html |archive-date=18 November 2009}} Diplomatic missions of EU member states fly the EU flag alongside their national flag. In October 2000, the then-new British Embassy in Berlin sparked controversy between the UK and Germany and the EU when the embassy did not have a second external flagpole for the EU flag. After diplomatic negotiations, it was agreed that the outside flagpole would have the diplomatic Union Flag while inside the embassy, the EU flag would accompany the UK flag.{{cite news |last=Helm|first=Toby|title=Embassy flagpole flies in the face of EU diplomacy |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1370700/Embassy-flagpole-flies-in-the-face-of-EU-diplomacy.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1370700/Embassy-flagpole-flies-in-the-face-of-EU-diplomacy.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=13 April 2019}}{{cbignore}} Some member states' national airlines such as Lufthansa have the EU flag alongside their national flags on aircraft as part of their aircraft registration codes, but this is not an EU-mandated directive.{{cite web |last=Reid|first=Jenni|title=Lufthansa flies a pro-European message ahead of EU elections|url=https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/04/25/lufthansa-flies-pro-european-message-ahead-of-eu-elections/|access-date=17 February 2020}}

A number of logos used by EU institutions, bodies and agencies are derived from the design and colours of the EU emblem.{{cite web |title=Emblems|publisher=Europa (web portal)|url=http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-5000200.htm|access-date=28 December 2007}}

Other emblems make reference to the European flag, such as the EU organic food label that uses the twelve stars but reorders them into the shape of a leaf on a green background. The original logo of the European Broadcasting Union used the twelve stars on a blue background adding ray beams to connect the countries.

There was a proposal in 2003 to deface national civil ensigns with the EU emblem. The proposal was rejected by Parliament in 2004.{{cite web |title=Rejected proposal of a European civil ensign |publisher=Flags of the World |url=http://areciboweb.50megs.com/fotw/flags/eu~eun.html#pro |access-date=14 April 2008}}

The flag is usually flown by the government of the country holding the rotating presidency Council of Ministers.

In 2009, Czech President Václav Klaus, a eurosceptic, refused to fly the flag from his castle. In response, Greenpeace projected an image of the flag onto the castle and attempted to fly the flag from the building themselves.{{cite web |title=Greenpeace screen EU flag on Prague Castle|date=7 January 2009|publisher=Aktuálně.cz|url=https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/greenpeace-screen-eu-flag-on-prague-castle/r~i:article:626523|access-date=18 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018083942/https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/greenpeace-screen-eu-flag-on-prague-castle/r~i:article:626523/ |archive-date=18 October 2022|url-status=live}}

Extraordinary flying of the flag is common on Europe Day, celebrated annually on 9 May.{{cite web |last=Rasmussen|first=Rina Valeur|title=Celebration of Europe Day 9 May 2007 in Denmark |publisher=Politeia |url=http://www.politeia.net/newsletter/politeia_newsletter_special_june_2007/celebration_of_europe_day_9_may_2007_in_denmark |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929003643/http://www.politeia.net/newsletter/politeia_newsletter_special_june_2007/celebration_of_europe_day_9_may_2007_in_denmark|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 September 2007|access-date=4 August 2007}}{{cite web |last=Rasmussen|first=Rina Valeur|title=London Eye lights up in colours of the European flag|date=9 May 2007|publisher=Europa (web portal)|url=http://ec.europa.eu/news/around/070509_uk_en.htm|access-date=4 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819214159/http://ec.europa.eu/news/around/070509_uk_en.htm |archive-date=19 August 2007 |url-status=dead}} On Europe Day 2008, the flag was flown for the first time above the German Reichstag.

The flag has also been displayed in the context of EU military operations (EUFOR Althea).{{cite web |title=EUFOR Welcome Ceremony/Unfolding EU flag |publisher=NATO |url=http://www.nhqs.nato.int/multimedia/photoGallery/2003/NHQS/31%20March%20EUFOR%20Welcome%20Ceremony/pages/Unfolding%20EU%20flag%2001_jpg.htm |format=PDF |access-date=14 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611165130/http://www.nhqs.nato.int/multimedia/photoGallery/2003/NHQS/31%20March%20EUFOR%20Welcome%20Ceremony/pages/Unfolding%20EU%20flag%2001_jpg.htm |archive-date=11 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}

File:KOD demonstration, Warsaw May 7 2016 21.jpg|A KOD demonstration in Warsaw, Poland against the ruling Law and Justice party, on 7 May 2016

File:Holding an EU flag.jpg|European flag with the Ukrainian trident at a pro-EU rally in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 24 November 2013

File:The Europa series 100 € obverse side.jpg|Flag of the EU in the top left corner of a 100 euro banknote (second series)

File:Logo European Central Bank.svg|European Central Bank logo

File:Saksen-Anhalt license plate 02.JPG|The EU uses the emblem in a number of ways, here on vehicle registration plates. The "D" in this photo indicates Germany (Deutschland).

File:Sergio Mattarella e António Guterres al Quirinale 2019 (2).jpg|In Italy the European Flag must be displayed alongside the national flag in official ceremonies and over public buildings.

File:EU Flag Louvre.jpg|The European Flag is placed on numerous municipal flagpoles in Paris, on a par with the flag of France; here in front of the Louvre Palace (flown upside down).

File:Flickr - Πρωθυπουργός της Ελλάδας - Angela Merkel - Αντώνης Σαμαράς (9).jpg|Order of precedence at the state visit of Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras in Berlin (24 August 2012): The Greek flag takes the first order of precedence, followed by the German flag on the right (seen on the left when facing the building) and the European flag in third order, on the left.

File:BadElster Grenze4383.JPG|German border sign

File:Croatian driving licence 2023 (recto).jpg|Driving licences in the EU feature the twelve stars on a blue background with the country's distinguishing sign.

File:2021 Czech ID card front.jpg|From 2021, identity cards issued in the EU display an EU flag with their two-letter country code.

Sixteen out of twenty-seven member states in 2007 signed the declaration recognising "the flag with a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background" as representing "the sense of community of the people in the European Union and their allegiance to it."{{Cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:306:0231:0271:EN:PDF|title=Official Journal of the European Union, 2007 C 306–2, p. 267}}

In 2017, president of France Emmanuel Macron signed a declaration endorsing the 2007 statement,{{cite web|url=http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-21-2017-INIT/en/pdf|title=Meeting of the EUROPEAN COUNCIL held on 19 October 2017|date=17 January 2018|access-date=3 February 2018|publisher=European Council}}{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-france-recognize-eu-flag-and-anthem/|title=Manu joins EU flag club|date=19 October 2017|access-date=3 November 2017|first=FLORIAN|last=EDER}}

{{cite web|url=http://en.rfi.fr/europe/20171020-macron-squares-eurosceptics-eu-flag-brexit|title=Macron squares up to Eurosceptics on EU flag, Brexit|date=20 October 2017|access-date=3 November 2017|first=Tony|last=Cross}}

so that, as of 2018, 17 out of 27 member states have recognised the emblem as a flag representing "allegiance to the EU":

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

Italy has incorporated the EU flag into its flag code. According to an Italian law passed in 2000, it is mandatory for most public offices and buildings to hoist the European Flag alongside the Italian national flag (Law 22/1998 and Presidential Decree 121/2000). Outside official use, the flag may not be used for "aims incompatible with European values".

The 2000 Italian flag code expressly replaces the Italian flag with the European flag in precedence when dignitaries from other EU countries visit – for example the EU flag would be in the middle of a group of three flags rather than the Italian flag.[http://www.governo.it/Presidenza/cerimoniale/onorificenze_araldica/documentazione/sistema_onorifico_rep_it.pdf The Rules of Protocol regarding national holidays and the use of the Italian flag] (2001) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219113545/http://www.governo.it/Presidenza/cerimoniale/onorificenze_araldica/documentazione/sistema_onorifico_rep_it.pdf |date=19 December 2008}} Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Department of Protocol (2001). LAW No. 22 of 5 February 1998: "General Rules Governing the Use of the Flags of the Italian Republic and the European Union". In Germany, the federal flag code of 1996 is only concerned with the German flag,[https://www.bgbl.de/xaver/bgbl/start.xav?startbk=Bundesanzeiger_BGBl&jumpTo=bgbl196s1729.pdf FlaggAO (BGBl. I S. 1729) 13. November 1996]. but some of the states have legislated additional provisions for the European flag, such as Bavaria in its flag regulation of 2001, which mandates that the European flag take the third order of precedence, after the federal and state flags, except on Europe Day, where it is to take the first order of precedence.[http://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/BayVwAoFlag/true Flaggen-Verwaltungsanordnung (VwAoFlag) in der Fassung der Bekanntmachung vom 4. Dezember 2001] "§ 3 (1) Grundsätzlich werden die bayerische Staatsflagge, die Bundesflagge und, soweit möglich, die Europaflagge gemeinsam gesetzt. (2) 1 Der Bundesflagge gebührt die bevorzugte Stelle. 2 Sie ist grundsätzlich in der Mitte zu setzen, rechts anschließend, vom Innern des Gebäudes mit dem Blick zur Straße gesehen, die bayerische Staatsflagge und links die Europaflagge. 3 Am Europatag ist die Europaflagge an bevorzugter Stelle zu hissen."

In Ireland{{cite web |title=An Bhratach Náisiúnta / The National Flag |publisher=Department of the Taoiseach |url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/RTF%20files/The%20National%20Flag.rtf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128165907/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/RTF%20files/The%20National%20Flag.rtf |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 November 2007 |format=RTF |access-date=28 December 2007}}"Order for European Union Events The European Union Flag: The national flags in order of their name in their primary local language."

{{cite web |title=Flying Flags in the United Kingdom |publisher=Flag Institute |url=https://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/Flying_Flags_in_the_United_Kingdom.pdf |date=March 2010}}

on occasions of "European Union Events" (for example, at a European Council meeting), where the European flag is flown alongside all national flags of member states, the national flags are placed in alphabetical order (according to their name in the main language of that state) with the European flag either at the head, or the far-right, of the order of flags.

In most member states, use of the EU flag is only de facto and not regulated by legislation, and as such subject to ad hoc revision. In national usage, national protocol usually{{clarify|date=May 2018}} demands the national flag takes precedence over the European flag (which is usually displayed to the right of the national flag from the observer's perspective). In November 2014, the speaker of the Hungarian Parliament László Kövér ordered the removal of the EU flag from the parliament building, following an incident in which a member of parliament had "defenestrated" two EU flags from a fourth story window.[https://budapestbeacon.com/president-hungarian-parliament-orders-removal-eu-flag/ President of Hungarian parliament orders removal of EU flag], The Budapest Beacon 17 November 2014. In November 2015, the newly elected Polish government under Beata Szydło removed the EU flag from government press conferences.{{cite news |title=EU flags disappear from Polish government press briefings |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/eu-flags-disappear-from-polish-government-press-briefings-115112401422_1.html |access-date=31 January 2021 |work=Business Standard India |publisher=Business Standard |date=24 November 2015}}

The design of the European flag has been used in a variation, such as that of the Council of Europe mentioned above, and also to a greater extent such as the flag of the Western European Union (WEU; now defunct), which uses the same colours and the stars but has a number of stars based on membership and in a semicircle rather than a circle. It is also defaced with the initials of the former Western European Union in two languages.{{cite web|title=Western European Union |publisher=Flags of the World |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/eu%5Eweu.html |access-date=11 February 2009}}

The European Parliament used its own flag from 1973, but never formally adopted it. It fell out of use with the adoption of the twelve-star flag by the Parliament in 1983. The flag followed the yellow and blue colour scheme however instead of twelve stars there were the letters EP and PE (initials of the European Parliament in the six community languages at the time) surrounded by a wreath.{{cite web |title=European Parliament |publisher=Flags of the World |date=28 October 2004 |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/eu_ep.html |access-date=4 August 2007}} Sometime later, the Parliament chose to use a logo consisting of a stylised hemicycle and the EU flag at the bottom right.

The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, imposed by High Representative Carlos Westendorp after the country's parliament failed to agree on a design, is reminiscent of the symbolism of the EU flag, using the same blue and yellow colours; also, the stars (although of a different number and colour) are a direct reference to those of the European flag.{{cite web|title=New flag imposed on Bosnians|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/53480.stm|website=BBC News|access-date=6 April 2017|archive-date=15 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615030346/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/53480.stm|url-status=dead}}

{{cite web |title=Bosnia and Herzegovina – The 1998 Flag Change – Westendorp Commission – The Choice |publisher=Flags of the World |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ba-fccho.html |access-date=11 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430140116/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/Flags/ba-fccho.html |archive-date=30 April 2008 }}

Likewise, Kosovo uses blue, yellow and stars in its flag, which has been mocked as a "none too subtle nod to the flag of the European Union, which is about to become Kosovo's new best friend as it takes over protector status from the United Nations".{{cite news |title=Kosovo's fiddly new flag|date=18 February 2008|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/certainideasofeurope/2008/02/kosovos_fiddly_new_flag.cfm|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=11 February 2009}}{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3555196/Kosovo-will-need-more-than-a-new-flag.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3555196/Kosovo-will-need-more-than-a-new-flag.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Kosovo will need more than a new flag|last=Quetteville|first=Harry de|date=19 February 2008|website=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=12 December 2017}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Kosovo|title=flag of Kosovo|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=12 December 2017}}

The flag of the Brussels-Capital Region (introduced in 2016) consists of a yellow iris with a white outline upon a blue background. Its colours are based on the colours of the Flag of Europe, because Brussels is considered the unofficial capital of the EU.{{cite web|title=Un nouveau look pour la région Bruxelles-capitale|url=http://www.brusselslife.be/fr/article/un-nouveau-look-pour-la-region-de-bruxelles-capitale#!|website=brusselslife.be|access-date=23 December 2016|quote=[Sander Vermeulen ajoute :] "Quant aux couleurs, elles rappellent celles du drapeau de l'Union européenne dont Bruxelles est la Capitale"|language=fr}}{{cite news |title=Gewest gaat voor nieuwe vlag met hartjeslogo |trans-title=Region goes for new flag with hearts logo |url=http://www.brusselnieuws.be/nl/nieuws/gewest-gaat-voor-nieuwe-vlag-met-hartjeslogo | newspaper=brusselsnieuws.be |location=Brussels |date=17 December 2014 |access-date=1 January 2015|language=nl}}

File:Flag of the Brussels-Capital Region.svg|The blue and yellow colours of the Brussels flag are those of the European Union, of which Brussels is the de facto capital city.

File:Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg|alt=The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina was partly based on the European flag|The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina was partly based on the European flag.{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/53480.stm|title=BBC News | Europe | New flag imposed on Bosnians|access-date=16 June 2017|archive-date=15 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615030346/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/53480.stm|url-status=dead}}

File:Flag of the Council of Europe.svg|Logo of the Council of Europe

File:Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community 6 Star Version.svg|Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community (1958–1972)

File:Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community 9 Star Version.svg|Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community (1973–1980)

File:Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community 10 Star Version.svg|Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community (1981–1985)

File:Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community 12 Star Version.svg|Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community (1986–2002)

File:Flag of Kosovo.svg|The flag of Kosovo was partly based on the European flag.

File:Flag of the Western European Union (1993-1995).svg|Flag of the Western European Union (1993–1995)

File:Flag of the Western European Union.svg|Flag of the Western European Union (1995–2011)

File:Flag of the Assembly of the Western European Union.svg|Flag of the Assembly of the Western European Union

File:Flag of the European Parliament (1973-1983).svg|Flag of the European Parliament (1973–1983)

File:Flag of the European Maritime Safety Agency.svg|Flag of the European Maritime Safety Agency

File:Flag of EMCDDA.svg|Flag of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (until 2024)

File:Organic-Logo.svg|EU emblem for certification of organic agricultural products

{{See also|Armorial of Europe}}

The coat of arms of the chairman of the European Union Military Committee (CEUMC), the highest-ranking officer within the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), depicts the European emblem as a coat of arms, i.e. emblazoned on an escutcheon. In heraldic terms, this makes the European flag is the banner of arms, i.e. the flag form of this coat of arms. In English blazon, the arms is Azure, a circle of 12 mullets or, their points not touching.{{Cite web|title=Publications Office – Interinstitutional Style Guide – Annex A1 – Graphics guide to the European emblem|url=https://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-5000100.htm|access-date=2021-12-28|website=publications.europa.eu}}

Several EU publications related to the CSDP generally, and its prospective development as a defence arm, have also displayed the European emblem in this manner, albeit as a graphical design element rather than an official symbol.{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/euco-sibiu-towards_a_european_defence_union_0.pdf|title=European Commission|access-date=14 August 2019|archive-date=29 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629122220/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/euco-sibiu-towards_a_european_defence_union_0.pdf|url-status=dead}}

File:Informal meeting of defence ministers (FAC). Arrivals Michail Kostarakos (36892148436).jpg|Chairman Michail Kostarakos wearing the heraldic badge

File:Coat of arms of Europe.svg|Heraldic badge

File:EUBAM logo.svg|Moldovan and Ukrainian flags displayed as supporters, symbolising the EU's border assistance mission since 2005

File:EU Roma Musei Capitolini close-up crop.jpg|The European emblem emblazoned on a chair at the occasion of the 2004 signing of the European Constitution in Rome

File:Blue Eiffel Tower 00003 (2744637971).jpg|The European emblem emblazoned on the Eiffel Tower in 2008

File:European Court of Human Rights, courtroom, 2014 (cropped).JPG|The European emblem emblazoned on the carpet in the European Court of Human Rights

File:European flag, upside down.svg|The stars are upside down.

File:European flag, incorrect star rotation.svg|The stars point outwards instead of in one direction.

File:European flag, incorrect star positions.svg|The stars should be arranged like a face of a clock, which is not the case in this flag.

File:Flag of Europe.svg|Correct flag

• Symbols of Europe#Flag
• Symbols of the European Union
• European Fisheries Control Agency#Pennant

; Flags of the European Union's precursors

• Flag of the Western Union
• Flag of the Western European Union
• Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community

; Flags of other European unification movements

• Flag of the Paneuropean Union (adopted 1922)
• Hertensteiner Cross of the federalist movements (used in 1946)
• Federalist flag of the European Movement (adopted 1948)

; Other continental flags

• Flag of the African Union
• Flag of the Eurasian Economic Union

{{NoteFoot}}

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Flag of Europe}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070807045151/http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/flag.asp Council of Europe on the flag]
• [http://www.coe.int/t/dgal/dit/ilcd/Historical_Content/flag_en.asp Council of Europe historical files on the flag]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110519135445/http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/graphics1_en.htm EU's graphical specifications for the flag]
• [http://www.cvce.eu/education/unit-content/-/unit/eeacde09-add1-4ba1-ba5b-dcd2597a81d0/2b4e569f-9aa3-48dd-b877-13d0d5f1d177/Resources#9fe0d3a5-1c8d-40eb-9f0b-9d812b274edc The symbols of the European Union: The flag of the Council Europe]. Virtual Centre for Knowledge on Europe
• {{FOTW|id=eu-eun|title=European Union}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081205083719/https://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/euroflagmemo.html Memorandum on design and designer of European flag]

{{EU symbols}}

{{Flags of Europe}}

{{Coats of arms of Europe}}

{{Portal bar|Europe|European Union|Heraldry}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Europe}}

European Union

Flag

Category:Flags introduced in 1955

Category:Flags of Europe

Category:Flags of international organizations

Flag

Category:Flags with circles

Europe