Editing Flag of Europe (section)

===1983–present: From European Communities to European Union{{anchor|European Community}}===
{{recentism|date=August 2019}}
[[File:Flag of Europe (vertical).svg|thumb|150px|Vertical flag of Europe|left]]
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.<ref name="ENA page"/> 
The European Parliament took the initiative in seeking a flag to be adopted by the [[European Communities]]. Shortly after the first [[1979 European Parliament election|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<ref name="COE page"/> and it was adopted by the Parliament on 11 April 1983.<ref name="ENA page"/>

[[File:Flag of Europe Adonnino proposal.svg|thumb|150px|"Flag and emblem" for the European Communities proposed in the 1985 Adonnino Report<ref name=Adonnino/>]]
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.<ref name=Adonnino>[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].</ref> 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.<ref>"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.</ref> 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 [[Flags of Elizabeth II#Personal Flag|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".<ref>Tobias Theiler, ''Political Symbolism and European Integration'', Manchester University Press, 2005 [https://books.google.com/books?id=JMiqfaCXr50C&pg=PA61 p. 61–65].</ref> 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.<ref>"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].</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref name="COE page"/> 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".<ref>
Nicole Scicluna, ''European Union Constitutionalism in Crisis'', Routledge (2014), [https://books.google.com/books?id=AYbZBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 p. 56].</ref>

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 [[European Common Market|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.<ref>Countries polled: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia (joined [[2004 enlargement of the European Union|2004]]), Bulgaria and Romania (joined [[2007 enlargement of the European Union|2007]]). [http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/ceeb/ceeb_8.pdf Central and Eastern Eurobarometer, Issue 8], [[European Commission]], March 1998.</ref>

{{anchor|Barcode flag}}[[File:Union-europea segun rem-koolhaas.svg|thumb|The "flag barcode"]]
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 [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|EU Presidency]] in 2006.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=EU barcode |work=OMA projects |url=https://www.oma.com/projects/eu-barcode}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Austrian EU Presidency Logo|date=21 October 2005 |publisher=Dexigner|url=https://www.dexigner.com/news/5578}}</ref>

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."<ref name="lisbon-symbols-declaration">"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]</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>{{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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> The proposal was passed on 8 October 2008 by 503 votes to 96 (15 abstentions).<ref>{{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}}</ref>

In 2015, a set of [[2 euro commemorative coins|commemorative Euro coins]] was issued on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the emblem by the European Communities.<ref>"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])</ref>

{{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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

Following the [[2004 Summer Olympics]], President [[Romano Prodi]] expressed his hope "to see the EU Member State teams [[2008 Summer Olympics|in Beijing [viz., the 2008 games] ]] carry the flag of the European Union alongside their own national flag as a symbol of our unity".<ref>[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].</ref>
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.<ref>"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}}</ref>

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 [[Belarusian opposition|opposition movements]], such as [[Zubr (political organization)|''Zubr'']], during the [[Jeans Revolution|protests of 2004–2006]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> The flag was used widely in a 2007 pro-EU march in [[Minsk]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> Similar uses were reported from [[Moldova]] [[April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests|in 2009]].{{failed verification|date=April 2017}}<ref name="Romania slams Moldova's sanctions">{{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}}</ref>

In [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], the flag has been on most government buildings since the coming to power of [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] (2007),<ref>{{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}}</ref> who used it during his inauguration,<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{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}}</ref>

It was used in 2008 by pro-western Serbian voters ahead of an election.<ref name=Reuters>{{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}}</ref>

[[File:Euromaidan Kyiv 1-12-13 by Gnatoush 005.jpg|thumb|Protesters in [[Kyiv]] waving [[Flag of Ukraine|Ukrainian]] and European flags during the [[Euromaidan]] [[Political demonstration|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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> It was flown during the 2013 [[Euromaidan]] protests in Ukraine,<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>
and in 2016 by the [[List of campaign organisations supporting Remain in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|pro-EU faction]] in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|EU membership referendum]] campaigns in the United Kingdom.

The flag has also been adopted as a symbol for EU policies and expansionism by [[EU-sceptic]]s. 
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]].<ref>''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].</ref>
In the 2005 [[International reactions to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy#Violent protests|Islamic protests]] 
against the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|''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.<ref>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].</ref>
Protesters during the [[Greek government-debt crisis]] of 2012 "burned the EU flag and shouted 'EU out' ".<ref>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].</ref>
Burning of the EU flag has been reported from other anti-EU rallies since.<ref>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</ref>

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.<ref name="CoE2013"/>

The EU emblem ("EU flag") is depicted on the [[euro banknotes]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> [[Euro coins]] also display a circle of twelve stars on both the national and common sides.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

It is also depicted on many [[Driver's license|driving licences]] and [[Vehicle registration plates of the European Union|vehicle registration plates]] issued in the Union.<ref name="FOTW legal">{{cite web |title=European Union: Legal use of the flag |date=10 September 2005 |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|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}}</ref> [[Embassy|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 [[List of diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom#Flags|diplomatic Union Flag]] while inside the embassy, the EU flag would accompany the UK flag.<ref>{{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}}</ref> Some member states' [[flag carrier|national airline]]s 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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

Other emblems make reference to the European flag, such as the [[Organic certification#Europe|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 [[defacement (flag)|deface]] national civil ensigns with the EU emblem. The proposal was rejected by Parliament in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rejected proposal of a European civil ensign |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |url=http://areciboweb.50megs.com/fotw/flags/eu~eun.html#pro |access-date=14 April 2008}}</ref>

The flag is usually flown by the government of the country holding the [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|rotating presidency]] [[Council of the European Union|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.<ref name="Czech">{{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}}</ref>

Extraordinary flying of the flag is common on [[Europe Day]], celebrated annually on 9 May.<ref name=Reuters/><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> On Europe Day 2008, the flag was flown for the first time above the German [[Reichstag (building)|Reichstag]].<ref name=Reuters/>

The flag has also been displayed in the context of [[EU military operations]] ([[EUFOR Althea]]).<ref>{{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}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:KOD demonstration, Warsaw May 7 2016 21.jpg|A [[Committee for the Defence of Democracy|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 [[Coat of arms of Ukraine|Ukrainian trident]] at [[Euromaidan|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 of the European Union|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 [[Dexter and sinister|the right]] (seen on the left when facing the [[Federal Chancellery (Berlin)|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|[[European driving licence|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, [[National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland|identity cards issued in the EU]] display an EU flag with their two-letter country code.
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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."<ref>{{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}}</ref>
In 2017, president of France [[Emmanuel Macron]] signed a declaration endorsing the 2007 statement,<ref>{{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}}</ref>
so that, as of 2018, 17 out of [[Member state of the European Union|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.<!--Dissidents: Croatia [accession 2013], Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, UK-->

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 [[Flag of Italy|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]]".<ref name="FOTW legal"/>
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.<ref name=Italy_flag_law>[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".</ref> In Germany, the federal flag code of 1996 is only concerned with the [[flag of Germany|German flag]],<ref>[https://www.bgbl.de/xaver/bgbl/start.xav?startbk=Bundesanzeiger_BGBl&jumpTo=bgbl196s1729.pdf FlaggAO (BGBl. I S. 1729) 13. November 1996].</ref> but some of the [[states of Germany|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.<ref>[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."</ref>

In Ireland<ref name="Protocol IE">{{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}}</ref><ref>"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}}</ref> 
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 [[Languages of the European Union|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}}<!--specify which countries this applies to--> 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<!--[[:hu:Tamás Gaudi-Nagy]]--> had "defenestrated" two EU flags from a fourth story window.<ref>[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.</ref> In November 2015, the [[2015 Polish parliamentary election|newly elected]] Polish government under [[Beata Szydło]] removed the EU flag from government press conferences.<ref>{{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}}</ref>