The European Union unites 28 states. The European Union has its own official symbols - a flag, anthem and motto. The EU flag is a blue cloth with twelve gold stars.
Flag Picture Rules
The official flag of the European Union is a rectangular blue canvas with an aspect ratio of 2: 3. On a blue background, there are 12 gold five-pointed stars arranged in a circle. There are several rules according to which the United Europe flag should be drawn. The stars are located in a circle in the same way as the numbers on the dial of a watch. Neither end of the star points downward. The tops of the stars are not directed radially from the center, but upward.
Symbols in the history of the creation of the flag
The blue color of the flag fabric symbolizes the clear western sky. The circle around which the stars are located means the unity of the peoples of Europe. The number of stars has nothing to do with the number of EU member states. According to the official statement of the European Commission, the number 12 was chosen by analogy with the starry sky. As the 12 signs of the zodiac symbolize the entire Universe, so the 12 stars symbolize the whole of Europe.
In varietate Concordia is the motto of the European Union, which means “unity in diversity”.
The number 12 is very significant for European religion and culture. It is enough to recall 12 months of the year, 12 signs on the dial, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 apostles, 12 tables of Roman law. There is a version that the authors of the flag were inspired by the image of the "Woman clothed in the sun" - the symbolic character of the Revelations of John the Theologian. She was depicted wearing a crown of 12 stars on her head; in a broad sense, she was interpreted as the entire Christian church.
The prototypes of the current and variants of the new flag of the European Union
The European Union as an international organization was legally established only in 1993. Prior to that, the European Coal and Steel Association, the European Atomic Energy Community, the European Free Trade Association and several other organizations uniting the countries of Europe functioned separately. There was a separate Council of Europe, created in 1947 to protect human rights. This oldest international organization still exists, but is not part of the European Union system. The blue flag with gold stars was approved at the meeting of the Council of Europe in 1955. Later, the Council of Europe called on all European structures to adopt this flag as the main one. Since 1986, the blue flag with gold stars has been used by all European institutions, including the European Union.
The official European anthem is Schiller's Ode to Joy, a prelude to Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven.
The idea of a common European flag is in some way borrowed from the European Coal and Steel Community. The flag of this organization was a rectangular canvas divided into two equal horizontal parts. The upper blue symbolized steel, the lower black - coal. In the center were six white five-pointed stars, according to the number of countries participating in the association.
In 2002 Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas proposed a new flag for the European Union. Its version is a set of multi-colored stripes arranged vertically. As conceived by Koolhaas, the new flag was supposed to reflect the versatility of the European Union: the national colors of all member states were displayed on the flag. The idea did not meet with support - the flag turned out to be like a multi-colored barcode, absolutely unsuitable for replication or reduction.
