Editing Flag of Europe

{{Short description|Official symbol used by the Council of Europe and the European Union}}
{{redirect|European flag|a gallery of flags of countries in Europe|Flags of Europe}}
{{pp-move-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Flag of Europe
| Article = 
| Image = Flag of Europe.svg
| Image_size = 255px
| Nickname = European flag<br />Flag of the Council of Europe<br />Flag of the European Union<br />[[Circle of stars]]
| Morenicks = 
| Use = *Symbol of [[Europe]]
*Union flag representing the EU (27 members)
*Council flag representing the [[Council of Europe]] (46 members)
| Proportion = 2:3
| Adoption = 9 December 1955<ref name="european-flag">{{cite web |title=The European flag |publisher=[[Council of Europe]] |url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/about-us/the-european-flag|access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Emblème du Conseil de l'Europe |date=9 December 1955|publisher=[[Council of Europe]] |url=https://rm.coe.int/16804ef667|access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref> ([[Council of Europe|CoE]])<br />29 June 1985<ref name="COE page"/> ([[European Economic Community|EEC]])
| Design = A circle of twelve five-pointed yellow stars on a blue field.
| Designer = Collaborative effort involving various people, including [[Arsène Heitz]] and [[Paul M. G. Lévy]]
}}

The '''flag of Europe''' or '''European flag'''{{NoteTag|Alternatively, it is sometimes called the ''flag of the European Union'' when representing the EU. The name "flag of the European Union" is used in e.g. the Italian [http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/98022l.htm law no. 22 of 5 February 1998] (''bandiera dell'Unione europea''), and by the ''[[Centre virtuel de la connaissance sur l'Europe]]'' (''[http://www.cvce.eu/obj/le_drapeau_de_l_union_europeenne-fr-c0e88f08-81df-47ff-9d03-38d4a06e12d7.html Le drapeau de l'Union européenne]'', 2016).}} consists of twelve [[Or (heraldry)|golden]] stars forming a [[Circle of stars|circle]] on a [[Azure (heraldry)|blue]] field. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the [[Council of Europe]] (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of [[Europe]].<ref name="european-flag"/>

Since 1985, the flag has also been a symbol of the [[European Union]] (EU), whose 27 member states are all also CoE members, although in that year the EU had not yet assumed its present name or constitutional form (which came in steps in 1993 and 2009). Adoption by the EU, or [[European Community|EC]] as it then was, reflected long-standing CoE desire to see the flag used by other European organisations.<ref name="european-flag"/> Official EU use widened greatly in the 1990s. Nevertheless, the flag has to date received ''no status'' in any of the [[Treaties of the European Union|EU's treaties]]. Its adoption as an official symbol was planned as part of the 2004 ''[[Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe]]'' but this failed to be ratified. Mention of the flag was removed in 2007 from the text of the [[Treaty of Lisbon]], which ''was'' ratified. On the other hand, 16 EU members that year, plus France in 2017, have officially affirmed (by Declaration No. 5224) their attachment to the flag as an EU symbol.

The flag is used by other European entities, such as unified golf teams under the rubric Team Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rydercup.com/team |title=Teams at the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, Kohler, WI, Sept. 22-27 brought to you by Rydercup.com |access-date=3 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190615183549/https://www.rydercup.com/team |archive-date=15 June 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Blazon==
The [[blazon]] given by the EU in 1996 describe the design as: "On an [[azure (heraldry)|azure]] field a circle of twelve golden [[Mullet (heraldry)|mullets]], their points not touching."<ref name=1996guide>{{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=[[Europa (web portal)|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}}</ref>

==Symbolism==
The flag used is the Flag of Europe, which consists of a [[Circle of stars|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,<ref name="36th2">{{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}}</ref> though the official symbolic description adopted by the EU omits the reference to the "Western world":<ref name="1996guide2">{{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''.}}</ref><ref>{{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=[[Europa (web portal)|European Commission]] |access-date=4 August 2004 |archive-date=22 June 2006}}</ref>{{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 [[12 (number)#Religion|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. G. Lévy|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.<ref name=":0fe">{{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}}</ref>

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 [[Our Lady, Star of the Sea|Stella Maris]] she is crowned with a circle of twelve stars.<ref name=":0fe" />

===Marian interpretation===
{{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.<ref name="Economist"/><ref>{{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}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Shield of Dom Guéranger.svg|thumb|165px|Arms of monk and priest [[Prosper Guéranger]] (1805–1875)<ref>p. 309 of [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k374920v/f315.image "Armorial des prélats Français du XIXème siècle"]</ref>]]

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 [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Blessed Virgin Mary]] as the [[Woman of the Apocalypse]], wearing a "crown of twelve stars".<ref name="Economist"/><ref name="Gialdino">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.&nbsp;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]):

<blockquote>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".</blockquote></ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |title=European Union: Myths on the flag |orig-year=1995 |year=2002 |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|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.</ref>

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:

<blockquote>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.<ref name="Gialdino"/></blockquote>

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.<ref name="Gialdino"/>

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

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.<ref name="origine">{{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}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Specifications==
[[File:EU Flag specification.svg|thumb|300px|Construction sheet]]
According to graphical specifications published online by the Council of Europe in 2004, the flag is rectangular with 2:3 proportions: its [[fly (flag)|fly]] (width) is one and a half times the length of its [[hoist (flag)|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 [[Clock face|face of a clock]]. The diameter of each star is equal to one-ninth of the height of the hoist.<ref name=CoEguide>{{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)."</ref>

The colours are regulated in the 1996 guide by the EC,<ref name=1996guide/> and equivalently in the 2004 guide by the Council of Europe.<ref name=CoEguide/> The base colour of the flag is defined as [[Pantone]] "[[Reflex Blue]]", while the golden stars are portrayed in Pantone "Yellow":

{| class="wikitable" style="background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #aaaaaa; border-collapse: collapse; white-space: nowrap; text-align: left" width="60%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|- style="text-align: center; background: #eee"
!
!style="background:#003399"| <span style="color:#FFFFFF"> Azure </span>
!style="background:#FFCC00"| Gold
|-
| [[Pantone]]
| Reflex Blue
| Yellow
|-
| [[RGB color model|RGB]]
| <code>#003399</code><ref name=RGBvalues>The 1996 guideline does not include any recommendation for RGB values. 
The 2004 guideline published online by the CoE recommends "RGB:0/51/153 (hexadecimal: 003399)" for "PANTONE REFLEX BLUE" and "RGB:255/204/0 (hexadecimal: FFCC00)" for "PANTONE YELLOW" for the [[web palette]] (the limited 12 bit color space popular at the time).
These recommendations are by no means objective or universal. Other recommendations for "Reflex Blue" include:
* #0c1c8c ([http://pantonecolors.org/pantone-reflex-blue.php pantonecolors.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205233940/http://pantonecolors.org/pantone-reflex-blue.php |date=5 December 2017 }})
* #001489 ([https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/Reflex-Blue-C pantone.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814073051/https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/Reflex-Blue-C |date=14 August 2016 }})
* #00209F ([http://www.colourlovers.com/color/00209F/Pantone_Reflex_Blue colourlovers.com])
* #001789 ([https://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp?cRange=Pantone%20C&cRef=Reflex+Blue+C e-paint.co.uk])
* #171796 ([http://encycolorpedia.com/171796 encycolorpedia.com])

The former Pantone "Yellow" is now{{clarify|date=May 2018}} called "Yellow C", with recommended RGB value #FEDD00 (CMYK 0.1.100.0). [https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/Process-Yellow-C (pantone.com)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712000957/https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/Process-Yellow-C |date=12 July 2020 }}</ref>
| <code>#FFCC00</code><ref name=RGBvalues/> 
|-
| [[CMYK]]
| 100.80.0.0<ref name=CMYK1996>{{in lang|fr}} ''Guide graphique relatif à l'emblème européen'' (1996), p. 6: ''Le jaune est obtenu avec 100% de «Process Yellow». En mélangeant 100% de «Process Cyan» avec 80% de «Process Magenta», on obtient un bleu très semblable au Reflex Blue Pantone.''</ref>
| 0.21.100.0<ref name=CMYK1996/>
|-
|}

The 2013 logo of the Council of Europe has the colours:<ref name=CoE2013>[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.</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #aaaaaa; border-collapse: collapse; white-space: nowrap; text-align: left" width="60%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|- style="text-align: center; background: #eee"
!
!style="background:#1E448A"| <span style="color:#FFFFFF"> Azure </span>
!style="background:#FDCB0B"| Gold
|-
| [[Pantone]]
| PMS 287<ref name=PantoneCoE2013>RGB and CMYK values are those given in the 2013 recommendation. 
Pantone recommendations for PMS 287: RGB #003087, CMYK 100.75.2.18 ([https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/287-C pantone.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801192425/https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/287-C |date=1 August 2021 }}); 
for PMS 116: RGB #FFCD00, CMYK 0.14.100.0 ([https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/116-C pantone.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725165539/https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/116-C |date=25 July 2021 }}).</ref>
| PMS 116<ref name=PantoneCoE2013/>
|-
| [[RGB color model|RGB]]
| <code>#1E448A</code>
| <code>#FDCB0B</code> 
|-
| [[CMYK]]
| 100.67.0.40
| 0.20.100.0
|-
|}

==Adoption and usage==

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.<ref>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] [[s:Consolidated protocols, annexes and declarations attached to the treaties of the European Union/Declarations#Declaration by the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Lithuania, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Austria, the Portuguese Republic, Romania, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic on the symbols of the European Union|Declaration 52, consolidated EU treaties]].</ref> In 2007, the [[European Parliament]] officially adopted the flag for its own use.<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 <!--Added by H3llBot-->|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}}</ref>{{contradictory inline|date=May 2018}}<!-- We just said that the European Parliament had already adopted the flag for is own use back in 1983. Which is correct? Did they adopt it twice? Why?-->

===1950–present: Council of Europe===
[[File:Strasbourg-76 allée de la Robertsau (3).jpg|thumbnail|The flag of Europe flown alongside the [[Flag of France]] 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.<ref name="ENA page"/>

Among the unsuccessful proposals was the flag of [[Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi]]'s [[Paneuropean Union|International Paneuropean Union]], which he had himself recently adopted for the [[European Parliamentary Union]].<ref>{{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.</ref>
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",<ref>Johan Fornäs, ''Signifying Europe'' (2012), [https://books.google.com/books?id=PG73B_1Xha4C&pg=PA131 p. 131].</ref> but the proposal was rejected by [[Turkey]] (a member of the Council of Europe since 1949) on grounds of its [[Christian cross|religious associations]]<ref name="FOTW proposals">[http://www.fahnenversand.de/fotw/flags/eu_ce.html Council of Europe] fahnenversand.de</ref> in spite of Kalergi's suggestion of adding a [[crescent]] alongside the cross to overcome the Muslim objections.<ref>{{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.</ref>

Other proposals included the flag was the [[European Movement]], which had a [[Federalist flag|large green E on a white background]],<ref>[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</ref>
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.<ref name="FOTW proposals"/>

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<ref name="ENA page">{{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}}</ref> (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.<ref name="Irish"/> 
The second was a variant by Arsène Heitz, who worked for the council's postal service and had submitted dozens of designs,<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="ENA page"/> Arsène Heitz was one of several people who proposed a circle of gold stars on a blue background.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Rejected: Designs for the European Flag |date=Dec 10, 2020 |publisher=Wirklichkeit Books |isbn=9783948200039 |pages=103–108}}</ref> None of his proposals perfectly match the design that was adopted.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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 [[#Marian interpretation|below]]).<ref name="Economist">{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> [[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.<ref name="Irish">{{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}}</ref>{{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, "[[12 (number)#Symbolism|representing]] perfection and entirety".<ref name="ENA page"/> 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.<ref name="Levy">{{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}}</ref> Officially adopted on 8 December 1955, the flag was unveiled at the [[Château de la Muette]] in Paris on 13 December 1955.<ref name="COE page">{{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}}</ref><ref name="ENA page"/>

<gallery mode="packed" widths="150" heights="100" caption="Unsuccessful proposals">
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 [[Flag of the Western Union|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
</gallery>

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.<ref name=":5">{{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}}</ref>

Shortly after this design considerations by Paul Levy, on 27 July 1950, Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, president of the [[Pan-European identity|Pan-European]] movement wrote a memorandum which contained some rules that a flag for such union should follow. The rules he stated where:<ref>{{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}}</ref>

* 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 [[Paneuropean Union|Pan-European movement flag]] would be the perfect one to fit these criteria<ref>{{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}}</ref>

15 July 1951, the consultative assembly put forward a final memorandum on the European flag. The symbols proposed where the following<ref>{{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}}</ref>

* A cross: Symbol of Christianity, Europe's crossroads, reminiscent of [[Crusades|the crusades]], and present in half of the member state's flags.
* An "E": Used by the [[Federalist flag|European Movement]].
* A white star in a circle: Symbol used in [[End of World War II in Europe|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 [[Federalist flag|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.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Alternative proposals
! style="width:110px;" |Flag !! style="width:100px;" |Date{{Efn|Some flags were proposed on several occasions. Therefore, the dates shown are the oldest dates on which the flag was first recorded.|name=Date Clarification|group=}}!! style="width:250px;" |Designer !! style="width:500px;" |Description
!Sources{{Efn|Most of the documents sourced are from the Council of Europe webpage.
Furthermore, some reconstructions were assisted by images of the flag sketches stored in the Digital Research in European Studies. Other reconstructions were made from descriptions in the documents and images provided by the European Council.|name=Main Source|group=}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/documents-records-archives-information/european-flag#{%2219134632%22:[],%2219135068%22:[0],%2219135079%22:[],%2219135090%22:[]}|title=European Flag|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cvce.eu/en|title=CVCE.eu|date=3 January 2020|website=CVCE.eu}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Flag of the proposed 1920 European Union.png|alt=|border|200x200px]]|| 1920 ||''Unknown''|| Obverse and reverse of the European flag proposed in an anonymous pan-European brochure from 1920.
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:19343441|title=Das Neue Europa Mit Dem Dauernden Frieden. Die Unionisierung Mitteleuropas. [The New Europe With Lasting Peace. The Central European Union.]|date=3 January 2020|website=Cornell University Library}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:United States of Europe Flag Sketch (1930).svg|alt=|border|150x150px]]|| 1930 ||''Unknown''||Anonymous sketch flag for the [[European Federation|United States of Europe]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b735|title=Sketch of a flag for the United States of Europe ("Union Stati Europa")|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Camille Manné Flag Proposal (23 August 1949).svg|alt=|border|150x150px]]|| 23 August 1949 || Camille Manné ||Flag proposal by Camille Manné, a Strasbourg Citizen, which incorporated all the colours of the European flags, made by doing a statistical analysis of the colours of the European flags. Its design is in the form of four horizontal stripes, blue, green, yellow and black, and a chevron horizontally divided in red and white adjacent to the hoist. The chevron also has the colours of Strasbourg.
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680699417|title=Proposal by Camille Manné (Founder of the SICOP printing firm, Bischheim, Alsace, France)|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b736|title=Flag showing the design by Camille Manet (Founder of the SICOP printing firm, Bischheim, Alsace, France)|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/09000016807b016c|title=Memorandum of the Secretariat General on the European Flag|date=3 January 2020}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/proposals_for_flags_submitted_to_the_consultative_assembly_of_the_council_of_europe_december_1951-en-e1e93292-ee7f-43d7-8b82-c332ce034b82.html|title=Proposals for flags submitted to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe (December 1951)|date=3 January 2020|website=CVCE.eu}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680699e8c|title=Memorandum from Paul Levy to Antoine Fischer (Saisons d'Alsace?) – 12 proposals for a flag|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Former Flag of the International Paneuropean Union.svg|alt=|border|150x150px]]|| 5 June 1950 ||Coudenhove-Kalergi||[[Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi|The count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi]] proposed to [[Jacques Camille Paris|Jacques-Camille Paris]], Secretary General of the European Council, about using the [[Paneuropean Union|Paneuropean movement flag]].
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680699937|title=Letter from Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi to Jacques-Camille Paris (Secretary General) about using the red cross of the united states of Europe|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680699d97|title=Memorandum presented to the Council of Europe by Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi about using the red cross of the United States of Europe|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Martin-Levy Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|border|150px]]
| rowspan="13" |15 July 1951|| Martin-Levy ||One of the curators of the Strasbourg Museum and member of the Secretariat-General, Martin-Levy, proposed a white ground with a green cross bearing in the centre the coat-of-arms of the Town of Strasbourg. The cross is shifted slightly towards the hoist in the manner of [[Nordic cross flag|Scandinavian flags]].
|<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:Coudenhove-Kalergi Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|border|150px|Sami flag]]|| Coudenhove-Kalergi ||The [[Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi|Count Coudenhove-Kalergi]] proposed a white flag bearing a red symmetrical cross, also known as the [[Flag of England|flag of St. George]].
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[File:Prince de Schwarzenberg Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|border|150x150px|Sami flag]]
|Prince de Schwarzenberg
|The Prince de Schwarzenberg proposed that the "first European symbol", the [[labarum]] of [[Constantine the Great|Constantine]], should be adopted. A red flag with a yellow symmetrical cross.
|<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:Lucien Philippe Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|150x150px]]||Lucien Philippe
|Fifteen five-pointed green stars in three rows on a white ground.
|<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:Louis Wirion Flag Proposal (15 July 1951) (Original).svg|150x150px]]

[[File:Louis Wirion Flag Proposal (15 July 1951) (Martin-Levy Modification).svg|150x150px]]
|Louis Wirion
|Louis Wirion, [[Luxembourg]] expert in heraldry, proposed a design based on the Martin-Levy proposal, reversing the colours and doing away with the [[Strasbourg]] coat of arms.

However he agreed that the white ground should be left with a green cross provided the [[Strasbourg]] coat of arms at the centre was only used for the pennants of Council personages and flags flown on Council buildings, and omitted in all other cases.
|<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680699de1|title=etter from Louis Wirion (Luxembourg) to Paul Levy – proposals for a flag|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Sommier of Neuilly Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|150x150px]]
|Sommier of Neuilly
|Sommier proposed a design based in the [[European Movement International|European Movement]] [[Federalist flag|flag]], with a green "E" detached from the hoist over a white ground.
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[File:Alwin Mondon Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|150x150px]]<br>[[File:Alvin Mondon Europe flag proposal, Bad Godesberg, 1950 1.png|150x150px]]<br>[[File:Alvin Mondon Europe flag proposal, Bad Godesberg, 1950 3.png|150x150px]]<br>[[File:Alvin Mondon Europe flag proposal, Bad Godesberg, 1950 5.png|150x150px]]<br>[[File:Alvin Mondon Europe flag proposal, Bad Godesberg, 1950 6.png|150x150px]]<br>[[File:Alvin Mondon Europe flag proposal, Bad Godesberg, 1950 8.png|150x150px]]<br>[[File:Alvin Mondon Europe flag proposal, Bad Godesberg, 1950 9.png|150x150px]]
| rowspan="3" |Alwin Mondon.
|Alwin Mondon, a cartographer of Bad Godesberg, proposed a white triangle, symbol of culture, on various fields.
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[File:Alvin Mondon Europe flag proposal, Bad Godesberg, 1950 10.png|150x150px]]
|Another Mondon project.
|<ref name="Wirklichkeit Books">{{cite book |last1=von Lenthe |first1=Jonas |title=Rejected Designs for the European Flag |date=2020 |publisher=Wirklichkeit Books |isbn=9783948200039}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Alvin Mondon Europe flag proposal, Bad Godesberg, 1950 4.png|150x150px]]
|Another Mondon project using [[fleur-de-lis]].
|<ref name="Wirklichkeit Books"/>
|-
|[[File:Muller of Wiesbaden Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|150x150px]]
|Muller of Wiesbaden
|Muller of Wiesbaden proposed a red flag bearing the word "Europa" in gold lettering, with a golden sun and a white hand making the [[Oath|sign of the oath]].
|<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:Harmignies Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|150x150px]]
|Harmignies
|Harmignies suggested creating a new heraldic device: a Cross of Europe. This cross would consist of four "E"s backed on to a square. He proposed a flag consisting of a green Cross of Europe on a white ground.
|<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:Poucher Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|150x150px]]
|Poucher
|Poucher proposed a federal flag which was virtually the reverse of the flag of the United States of America, with blue bands and a red quarter in one corner.
|<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:H.C. Flag Proposal (15 July 1951).svg|150x150px]]
|H.C.?
|H.C. proposed a horizontally-divided blue-red flag, the upper blue and the lower red. This is the [[International Code of Signals|international code sign]] of the letter "E". Furthermore, these two colours also correspond to those generally adopted by the [[Right-wing politics|right]] and left wing parties respectively.
|<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:Coudenhove-Kalergi Flag Proposal (26 September 1951).svg|150x150px]]
| rowspan="4" |26 September 1951
|Coudenhove-Kalergi
|A slight variation of the [[Paneuropean Union|Paneuropean movement flag]] that the count Cudenhove-Kalergi proposed but later verbally expressed his intention of withdrawing his proposal.
|<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:J. E. Dylan Flag Proposal (26 September 1951).svg|150x150px]]
|J. E. Dylan
|In January 1951 J.E.Dylan proposed on a letter this and other flag with the Star of Liberation surrounded by stars (one for each union member). He also proposed these two designs to have a blue background.
The council put forward this proposal, which had a green flag with a white and red Star of Liberation, and the Strasbourg coat of arms on the upper left-hand corner. The star in a circle was in 1944-5 the insignia of the armies of Liberation.
|<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680699e32|title=Letter from J. Dynan (Associated Press) to Paul Levy – proposals for a flag|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Unknown Flag Proposal (26 September 1951).svg|150x150px]]
|''Unknown''{{Efn|Probably Louis Wirion, who had already talked about reverting the colours in his first proposal.|name=Possible Designer|group=}}
|A similar design to Louis Wirion's flag proposal, but the cross is symmetrical. This design was proposed by those who believed that a green cross on a white background would be too easily soiled.
|<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:Unknown Flag Proposal (26 September 1951) (2).svg|150x150px]]
|''Unknown''
|A white [[Saltire|Cross of St. Andrew]] over a green ground. The cross represents one of the oldest and most popular European emblems which has
appeared in the case of the [[Cross of Burgundy]], emblem of the

"Grand Duchy of the West".
|<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[File:Arsène Heitz Flag Proposal (15 October 1951).svg|150x150px]]
| rowspan="2" |15 October 1951
|Arsène Heitz
|Arsène Heitz proposed a green flag, colour of [[Charlemagne]]'s standard which the [[Pope Leo III]] gave to him at [[Charlemagne#Coronation|his coronation]], and a red cross fimbriated in yellow. Red depicts the bloodshed in fratricidal struggles and yellow being the colour of the Pope and Christianity.
|<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069aa2d|title=Letter from Arsène Heitz to Paul Levy. He proposes a red cross.|date=3 January 2020|website=council of Europe}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/09000016807b012c|title=European Flag: Memorandum by the Secretariat-General|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Coudenhove-Kalergi Flag Proposal (15 October 1951).svg|150x150px]]
|Arsène Heitz
|Slight variation of the [[Flag of England|Cross of St.George]], with the heart of the cross located closer to the hoist, in the style of the [[Nordic cross flag|Nordic Cross]]. Probably inspired or derived from Count Coudenhove-Kalergi's proposal, so that it wasn't a replica of [[Flag of England|England's flag]].
|<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/proposals_for_european_flags_from_arsene_heitz_1952_1955-en-3c8f111a-6be6-4111-a433-20f1a7f9fdba.html|title=Proposals for European flags from Arsène Heitz (1952–1955)|date=3 January 2020|website=CVCE.eu}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Salvador de Madariaga Flag Proposal (01 December 1951).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|1 December 1951
|[[Salvador de Madariaga]]
|Salvador de Madariaga chose to depict each capital of the member states at that time with a star. The bigger star depicted [[Strasbourg]]. Stars were chosen as they depicted the country, but without the need of frontiers. Furthermore, they were eight-pointed depicting the eight chief directions of the compass.
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b7ac|title=Salvador de Madariaga proposes a design for the European flag|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Arsène Heitz Flag Proposal (05 January 1952).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|5 January 1952
|Arsène Heitz
|A green standard, colour of Charlemagne's standard, with a red cross fimbriated with gold. Each member state, when using the flag, could insert their coat of arms in the heart of the cross.
|<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069a995|title=Letter from Arsène Heitz to F. Caracciolo (Clerk of the Assembly). He proposes a red cross on a green background, inspired by Charlemagne's standard|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Paul Levy Flag Proposal (12 May 1952).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|12 May 1952
|Paul Levy
|[[Turkey]] objected to the [[Paneuropean Union|Paneuropean]] proposal due to the fact that there was [[Christian symbolism|Christian representation]] with the red cross, but no [[Islam]]ic representation. Therefore, Paul Levy proposed adding a [[Crescent|small crescent]] at one of the upper corners of the sun in the flag.
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069a997|title=Extract of a letter from George Coedes on the Turks and the cross|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069aafe|title=Letter from Paul Levy to Salvador de Madariaga on Turkish opposition to a cross|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069c90a|title=Letter from Paul Levy to Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi on Turkish opposition to a cross|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069c912|title=Letter from Paul Levy to Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi. He suggests how to proceed as regards his proposal for a crescent shape to be added.|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Arsène Heitz Flag Proposal (1) (15 November 1952).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
| rowspan="3" |15 November 1952
| rowspan="3" |Arsène Heitz
| rowspan="3" |Set of European flags which start to resemble more the actual flag of the EU. They show circles of yellow five-pointed stars on a blue field. Heitz, as in his previous January proposal, he suggested that each member state could add its own flag to the design.
|<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b81d|title=Design by Arsène Heitz – blue flag with the Turkish flag surrounded by stars in the top left-hand corner|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Arsène Heitz Flag Proposal (2) (15 November 1952).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b823|title=Design by Arsène Heitz – blue flag with the British flag on the top left, and 15 stars laid out in two concentric circles in the middle|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Arsène Heitz Flag Proposal (3) (15 November 1952).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b84e|title=Design by Arsène Heitz – blue flag with the French flag on the top left, and 15 stars laid out in two concentric circles in the middle|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Proposed 15-star flag of Europe (1953).png|alt=|150x150px]]
|25 September 1953
|Members of the Council of Europe
|Fifteen golden five-pointed stars in a circle representing union, over a blue (azure) background.
(on the official documents, "sky-blue" does not refer to the shade, but to the symbolism of the colour. The French translation, the heraldic description and hatching pattern,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016807adefe|title=REPORT on the choice of an emblem for the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe|date=21 September 1953|website=Council of Europe}}</ref> and colour illustrations<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/emblem_adopted_by_the_consultative_assembly_of_the_council_of_europe_in_1953-en-7ddaec2e-7d96-4a62-8164-75173631e90d.html|title=Emblem adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe in 1953|date=25 September 1953|website=Centre virtuel de la connaissance sur l'Europe}}</ref> make it clear that the background was azure (blue) and not light blue.)
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b852|title=Azure design with a wreath of 15 stars in the middle|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069ca4e|title=The Assembly adopts a heraldic description of the flag design|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Arsène Heitz Flag Proposal (12 November 1954).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|12 November 1954
| rowspan="3" |Arsène Heitz
|Blue flag with a yellow eight-pointed star in a red circle. The design is probably inspired in the [[Paneuropean Union|Paneuropean flag]], but instead of having a yellow cross, the shape of a [[compass rose]] is added to represent all of Europe.
|<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b857|title=Design by Arsène Heitz – Blue flag with a yellow eight-pointed star in a red circle|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Arsène Heitz Flag Proposal (25 December 1954).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|25 December 1954
|Blue flag with a red and white eight-pointed [[compass rose]] in the middle, probably chosen so that all [[Member state of the European Union|member states]] felt represented.
|<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b872|title=Design by Arsène Heitz – Blue flag with a red and white eight-pointed compass rose in the middle|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Arsène Heitz Flag Proposal (11 September 1955).svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|11 September 1955
|Blue flag with a star in the middle surrounded by twelve secondary stars. This is the most similar flag to the current one, with 12 stars instead of 15, and a star in the middle to probably represent [[Strasbourg]] or union.
|<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168069b874|title=Design by Arsène Heitz – Blue flag with a star in the middle surrounded by twelve secondary stars|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|alt=|150x150px]]
|9 December 1955
|Committee of European Ministers
|Blue field with a five-pointed 12-star circle
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/16804efecd|title=The Committee of Ministers chooses the 12-star flag on an azure background as the European Flag. The European Community adopt the same flag in 1986.|date=3 January 2020|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>
|}

===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.
</gallery>

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>

==Derivative designs==
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 [[defacement (flag)|defaced]] with the initials of the former [[Western European Union]] in two languages.<ref>{{cite web|title=Western European Union |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/eu%5Eweu.html |access-date=11 February 2009}}</ref>

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 [[languages of the European Union|community languages]] at the time) surrounded by a [[wreath]].<ref>{{cite web |title=European Parliament |publisher=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=28 October 2004 |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/eu_ep.html |access-date=4 August 2007}}</ref> 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 for Bosnia and Herzegovina|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.<ref name=BandH>{{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 (website)|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 }}</ref>

Likewise, [[Kosovo]] uses blue, yellow and stars in [[flag of Kosovo|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".<ref name="RoK">{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=BN>{{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}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" widths="150" heights="100">
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 [[Brussels and the European Union|''de facto'' capital city]].<ref name=BN />
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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/53480.stm|title=BBC News &#124; Europe &#124; 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}}</ref>
File:Logo of the Council of Europe (no lettering).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 [[organic certification|certification]] of organic agricultural products 
</gallery>

===Heraldry===
{{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 (heraldry)|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''.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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

<gallery mode="packed" widths="150px" heights="150px">
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 [[supporter]]s, symbolising the [[European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine|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 Union|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]]
</gallery>

==Incorrect versions==

<gallery mode="packed" widths="150" heights="100" caption="Wrong flags">
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 face|clock]], which is not the case in this flag. 
</gallery>

<gallery mode="packed" widths="150" heights="100" caption="Correct flag">
File:Flag of Europe.svg|Correct flag
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[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 [[Federalisation of the European Union|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]]

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Flag of Europe}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070807045151/http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/flag.asp <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> 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}}
[[Category:Blue and yellow flags|European Union]]
[[Category:Council of Europe|Flag]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1955]]
[[Category:Flags of Europe]]
[[Category:Flags of international organizations]]
[[Category:Symbols of the European Union|Flag]]
[[Category:Flags with circles]]
[[Category:Flags with stars|Europe]]