The standard color of the EU flag. EU flag: history and meaning

The flag of the European Union reflects the unity and equality of all its member states, as well as the integrity of Europe. It is an even circle of 12 gold five-pointed stars on a blue background, arranged like numbers on a watch dial. It is also considered the flag of Europe as a whole, which emphasizes the unity of the region, coupled with the individuality of each country located there.

History of the EU flag

The flag was designed and adopted as the official symbol of Europe in 1955. There were several projects, but the Council of Europe chose this one, as it reflected its ideals: unity, solidarity, harmony between European peoples and states. The Council subsequently encouraged the new European institutions to adopt the same flag.

In 1983, the European Parliament decided that this flag should be used by the Council of Europe. In 1985, it was adopted by all the leaders of the European Union as the official emblem of the European Community (which was later renamed the European Union). In addition to the common flag, all participating countries have retained their own individual flags as a symbol of identity and independence, conditioned by the history of the country and its people.

Symbolism

In general, the flag is a symbol of originality, friendly unity of different independent states of Europe.

The heraldic description reads: “on an azure field, a circle of twelve golden mullets, their points do not touch.” The blue background means a clear sky, against which twelve golden stars form an even circle, symbolizing the unity and equality of all countries of the Union.

Thus, the bright symbolic details of the EU flag: circle (unity and equality), stars (uniqueness and independence of each country), colors.

The circle is a symbol of equality and absolute, as it has neither beginning nor end, nor any direction. Each part of it is equally removed from the center. This suggests that all members of the European Union are equal among themselves, among them there are no chiefs and subordinates.

Stars are celestial elements that give light at night. Often, not only in heraldry, they are used as a symbol of the cosmic order, which is not intentionally established by anyone, but according to this law, the world exists.
It is in heraldry that the star symbolizes independence, unity, freedom, renewal and hope.
That is why the stars are often present on the flags of the former colonies, which were able to get rid of the oppression of the oppressors and became independent. independent states. Also, on many flags, the stars, if there are more than one, are a unit of measurement, that is, they correspond to the number of elements that make up a state or a union of states.

It is no coincidence that the stars of the European flag are five-pointed: even the Pythagoreans put a mystical meaning into such a star, because it can be inseparably drawn in one line, which can emphasize its perfection and integrity. This is also emphasized by their location: a circle, which is also a perfect figure of geometry. Also, five-pointed stars often symbolize a person (which indicates the humanistic orientation of the ideas of the European Union): five limbs, five fingers, five basic senses.

In this case, the stars do not touch each other, which means that the circle is open. The European Union is not a closed organization, access to which is closed to all those who are not members of it at the moment. It is ready to accept new members if they are ready for mutually beneficial cooperation with the existing ones. Moreover, the European Union is an active member of the international community, open to the outside world and playing its role in the life of international relations.

The number of stars is fixed and was established in 1955. Their number is not accidental and is not equal to the number of EU members (thanks to which there is no need to modify the flag every time a new state joins).

12 is considered an ideal number, which played a role back in Babylon and formed the basis of the Babylonian numerical system (for this reason it was called duodecimal). There are 12 zodiac signs that represent the universe itself. There are 12 months of the year, 12 noon and 12 noon, 12 Egyptian major gods, 12 Olympian deities who have shaped the Greek pantheon since the 5th century BC, 12 chariot circles ancient greece, 12 labors of Hercules Greek mythology, 12 tables constituting the first codification of Roman law, 12 knights round table King Arthur in the Celtic tradition and the 12 Gates of Paradise in Scandinavia.

twelve is also important number and in Judeo-Christian symbolism. The tree of life has 12 fruits; there are 12 sons of Jacob, 12 patriarchs, 12 tribes of Israel and 12 gates of New Jerusalem. Moses sent 12 strangers to the lands of Canaan, bread associated with Jesus was placed in 12 baskets, and Jesus speaks of 12 legions of angels after the kiss of Judas; finally, there are 12 apostles. The number 12 is also the product of three, always the divine number (the Trinity), by four, the number of the earth with its four principal points; 12 is a symbol of the "union between the divine and the earthly world", which personifies the central mystery of Christianity.

The role is also played by the fact that when creating the flag of the European Union, texts and knowledge were used that play a role in the history of many of its member states, while some were not singled out and others were not cut off. Thus, the main mythologies and beliefs of European peoples were taken into account.

Colors

The background of the flag itself is blue - the color of the sky and the universe itself, the cosmos. Blue is also traditionally the color of the European continent.

Many parliamentarians have referred to this symbolism as the Council of Europe prepares to adopt the flag. Finally, Blue colour Virgin. Mary's stone is a blue sapphire, which in the Book of Revelation (21:19) adorns the base of the walls of New Jerusalem; the blue color of Mary's mantle.
Thus, the European flag fulfills all the requirements of an ideal emblem: its symbolism is simple and easy to interpret, while remaining recognizable; it is harmonious, original and also easy to reproduce. Therefore, it is an ideal flag from a geometric, symbolic and political point of view.

Flag of Europe - represents 12 gold five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, similar to the numbers on the watch dial. It was originally the flag of the Council of Europe.

The official explanation of the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the European Council of December 9, 1955 to adopt the flag reads as follows:

Against the background of the blue sky of the Western world, the stars symbolize the peoples of Europe in a circle, a sign of unity. The number of stars is unchanged, determined to be twelve. This number symbolizes perfection and completeness... Just as the twelve signs of the zodiac represent the entire universe, so the twelve golden stars stand for all the peoples of Europe, and for those who cannot yet participate in building Europe in unity and peace.

On September 25, 1953, a meeting of the European Council recommended the adoption of a flag of 15 gold stars on a blue background, which was supposed to represent the number of members of the European Council.

This proposal was resisted by Germany because it would mean recognizing the Saarland, which was one of the 15 members, as an independent state. The Saarland and France on the other hand rejected the number of 14 stars because at that time there were strivings for independence in the Saarland. The number 13 is considered by many to be the number of unhappiness. 10 as the founding number of the European Union would hinder the idea of an open union. So finally agreed on 12 stars as a symbol of perfection.

More than 60 years ago, on December 8, 1955, the flag of the Council of Europe was approved - the current flag of the European Union.

The story of how and why 12 golden five-pointed stars on a blue background appeared on the flag of Europe is very curious, and few people know it. It is curious that the symbol of the Mother of God is fixed on its flag. The Mother of God is very often depicted with 12 stars in the form of a halo around her head - in accordance with the lines from the Revelation of the Apostle John the Theologian: “... a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun; under her feet is the moon, and on her head is a crown of twelve stars” (Rev. 12:1-2).

When the Council of Europe was just created in Strasbourg in 1949, the idea arose to make a coat of arms and a flag for this organization. A competition was announced among European artists. Won his zealous Catholic, Frenchman Arsene Heights. It was quite a young man, very ardent faith. In the sketch of the flag, he presented the stars as they are usually depicted in the nimbus of the Virgin in the Western tradition.

To the surprise of everyone, it was his work that won. Of course, when the drawing was chosen, they did not speak directly about its Mother of God meaning, they said that 12 stars are like a sign of fullness. And despite the fact that only 6 states were then members of the Council of Europe, and now there are already 47 of them, they still left the number 12 in the image of the flag. Initially, these were silver stars on a blue background. As you know, blue is the color of the Virgin. But then they went from silver to gold.

At present, few people remember where exactly such a flag from the European Union came from. I think that even if Europeans are asked, most will not be able to answer what kind of stars they are. But the Mother of God is considered the patroness and guide of Europe.

WHY IS SEMANTICS HERE?

Semantics as a science answers the question of how, with the help of signs, graphic or verbal, we are able to convey the most diverse information about the world.

The desire to understand how this or that picture turns into a symbolic sign for us arose a long time ago, as soon as I chose a specialization (designing signs and logos) as part of my profession as a graphic designer. I began to collect the stories of the birth of the most significant symbols for humanity.

If this topic is of interest to you, you can read on my blog: who invented it, or what was it like before it became a lily, or?

Ability to translate messages into pictorial language, to turn information into a sign is called "meaning" in the environment of communication designers. Why is this skill so important to us as designers? But because the mission and meaning of the profession of a graphic designer, in the first place, is the “packaging” and transmission of information, and the sign is the carrier of this very information.

In addition to the fact that a sign is the main element in the chain of information transmission, it is also a means of establishing a continuous brand connection, a means of maintaining communication between the manufacturer and the consumer, through which the consumer's involvement in a particular brand, in a particular consumption model is updated.

About how the sign “works” in the communication chain “I say, you understand”, I wrote in my recent article.

And that's all for today. Good luck to everyone and only auspicious signs)))

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The price is for single-sided printing, the cost of double-sided printing is 50% more expensive!

Manufacturing technology:

The EU flag can be made from three types of fabric and two standard sizes. The pole (flagpole) is not included in the package.

In order to order the Flag of the European Union, you can use the basket or call us at the numbers indicated in the header of the site.

When ordering more than 10 pieces, a discount is possible.

Flag symbols:

The flag of the European Union (EU) is a rectangular blue panel with the image of 12 gold stars lined up in a circle, like on a watch dial. The aspect ratio of the banner is 2:3.
The color of the cloth, in accordance with the official interpretation of the decision of the EU Committee of Ministers, symbolizes blue sky over Europe. And 12 golden stars, which are placed on the flag, mean perfection and completeness.
Their number does not correspond to the number of countries in the organization - this is an erroneous opinion. The creators of the banner believed that the flag should represent the whole of Europe and its inhabitants, and not just the European Union. “Just as the twelve signs of the zodiac represent the entire universe, so the twelve golden stars stand for all the peoples of Europe, and for those who cannot yet participate in building Europe in unity and peace.”

The history of the creation of the flag:

In 1953, at a meeting of the EU, a proposal was put forward to approve a flag with 15 gold stars as the banner of the organization - according to the number of member countries. But this idea was rejected by Germany, which refused to recognize the Saar, also part of the EU, as an independent state.
The Saarland and France were opposed to the adoption of the 14-star flag: at that time, there were strong aspirations for independence in the Saarland. 13 stars also decided not to portray, because in many beliefs this number is considered unlucky. And then the meeting participants agreed on the idea of approving a flag with 12 stars.
The EU banner was designed by Arsene Heitz and Paul Levy.
The date of the official adoption of the flag of the European Union is December 8, 1955.

the European Union is largest association countries in Europe: it includes 28 states. The European Union is an organization of a supranational nature: its activities are regulated by special rules of law that do not affect the sovereign issues of each of the member states, there is a separate system of governing bodies, a court, and so on. Nevertheless, the European Union, of course, cannot be considered a separate state, which makes it a very special entity of an integration nature.

Some confuse the territory of the European Union with Schengen. This is not surprising, since in order to get into almost every country of this association, one should obtain the so-called Schengen visa. In fact, Schengen is the name of a small village in Luxembourg, where the Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985, which in the customs sense united the territory of most EU member states. In these states, you need to get a Schengen visa, but the one who believes that all countries have signed this agreement is mistaken. For example, the UK and Ireland should have separate visas, even though they are part of the European Union. Thus, one should understand the fundamental difference between the European Union and the Schengen Agreement.

History of the European Union.

The main for the European Union is trade relations between some European countries: the Benelux countries, Italy, France. It was these states that in 1951 concluded an agreement on the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. It should be noted that this is not about trade in these resources between the above-mentioned countries, but about combining all their sources and trading them with third countries. After the end of the Second World War, these states were interested in mutual trade cooperation, raising the economy through mutual assistance. For a while, countries were satisfied with this level of integration, but after a few years, the benefits they receive from integration became obvious. Therefore, the heads of the above countries decided to create a European economic community: in fact, a union of a new level, based not only on trade in coal and steel with other states, but on the union economic systems generally. Over time, more and more more countries expressed their desire to join the association. To facilitate the process of entry of states into the organization, as well as to simplify its management, several supranational bodies were created, which differ from state bodies in several ways. Firstly, their competence was limited exclusively to the issues of the European Economic Community, that is, it did not affect the issues of the states themselves. Secondly, each member state (both present and future) was required to recognize the decisions of the bodies of the association, their implementation, some of these decisions needed to change national legislation. Thirdly, such bodies were regulated by a specially created legislative framework which had nothing to do with national legislation. Each state had the right to apply to a special court, which resolved disputes arising also exclusively on issues related to the activities of the state within the framework of the European Economic Community. Thus, the usual association of states on an economic basis gradually turned into a real union of a supranational character.

Over time, the list of member countries of the community expanded, and it became necessary to think over the issues of integration not only in the economic, but also in other areas. Thus, the European Economic Community could no longer be considered as such. In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty was signed establishing the European Union. It can be considered that the EEC is the direct ancestor of the European Union. The composition of the latter is still expanding, the last country to join the European Union is Croatia. There are many requirements for countries wishing to join this association: from economic to the observance of human rights, the presence of European values and the observance of certain principles. It should be noted that, even being in the European Union, countries have a certain freedom in the field of the degree of integration. For example, a country can keep its own currency or keep its customs territory intact (as the UK did, as discussed above). Such nuances must be discussed in advance, a country cannot simply take and leave its currency, just as it cannot take and switch to the euro, the single European currency.

On the this moment There are 6 countries wishing to join the European Union, whose applications it is still considering. Curiously, they include Montenegro, on whose territory the euro is in use (although the euro is used only in EU member states).

EU flag.

This association has its own attributes, which is a kind of identification mark. The most famous symbol of the European Union is the flag, which is an ordinary rectangular canvas of dark blue color, in the center of which 12 five-pointed yellow stars are located in a circle. Initially, this attribute belonged to one of the bodies of the European Union - the Council of Europe. Of course, such a drawing has its own meaning. The 12 stars symbolize the signs of the Zodiac, which represent the whole world. This is a kind of allusion to the main European peoples participating in the activities of the European Union, which represent their countries, their national minorities, practically the whole of Europe. Curiously, when discussing the number of stars on the country's flag for a long time could not come to an agreement, since some of them had arguments against the number 15, 14, 13, 10. Thus, it was decided to stop at the current number 12.