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Presidency insignia of the European Union
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A number of symbols of Europe has emerged throughout history. Depending on the symbol, they can apply to Europe as a whole, European unity or merely to the European Union (EU). Most well known symbols were created by the Council of Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, these symbols were intended to represent Europe as a whole but after being adopted by the EU, many people mistakenly see them as referring merely to the EU. In addition to those of Pan-European identity, the EU has created additional symbols for itself through its integration.
Europa
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In Greek mythology, Europa (Greek Ευρώπη) was a Phoenician woman of high lineage. A Crete story tells that she was abducted by Zeus in the form of a white bull.
According to legend, Zeus was enamored of Europa and decided to seduce or ravish her, the two being near-equivalent in Greek myth. He transformed himself into a tame white bull and mixed in with her father's herds. While Europa and her female attendants were gathering flowers, she saw the bull, caressed his flanks, and eventually got onto his back. Zeus took that opportunity and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back, to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity, and Europa became the first queen of Crete. Zeus gave her a necklace made by Hephaestus and three additional gifts: Talos, Laelaps and a javelin that never missed. Zeus later re-created the shape of the white bull in the stars, which is now known as the constellation Taurus. Some readers interpret as manifestations of this same bull the Cretan beast that was encountered by Hercules, the Marathonian Bull slain by Theseus (and that fathered the Minotaur). Roman mythology adopted the tale, substituting the god Jupiter for Zeus.
The etymology of her Greek name (ευρυ- "wide" or "broad" + οπ– "eye(s)" or "face") suggests that Europa represented a lunar cow, at least at some symbolic level. Metaphorically, at a later date it could be construed as the intelligent or open-minded, analogous to glaukopis (γλαυκώπις) attributed to Athena.
The continent Europe has ultimately been named after her. In the eighth century ecclesiastical uses of "Europa" for the imperium of Charlemagne provide the source for the modern geographical term. The name of Europe as a geographical term came in use by Ancient Greek geographers such as Strabo.[1] It is derived from the Greek word Europa (Ευρώπη) in all Romance languages, Celtic languages, Germanic languages, Slavic languages, Baltic languages, in Finno-Ugric languages (Hungarian Európa, Finnish Eurooppa, Estonian Euroopa), as well as in Latin.
"Europa seated on a bull" has been a frequent motif in European art since Greco-Roman times and today, statues of Europa and the bull are placed outside several European Union institutions, and the €2 Greek euro coin pictures them. Europa's name appeared on postage stamps commemorating the Council of Europe, which were first issued in 1956. Furthermore, the dome of the European Parliament's Paul-Henri Spaak building contains a large mosaic by Aligi Sassu portraying the abduction of Europa with other elements of Greek mythology.[2]
Council symbols
The flag, anthem and celebration day were created by the Council of Europe, but in the 1980s they were adopted by the European Communities (what is now the European Union).
Flag
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Main article: Flag of Europe
The Flag of Europe consists of a circle of twelve golden (yellow) stars on a blue background. It is most commonly associated with the European Union (EU), formerly the European Communities, which adopted the flag in the 1980s. However, it was first adopted by the Council of Europe (CoE), which created it in 1955.
The EU and CoE are separate organisations; while the EU has 27 members, the CoE has 47 members and 5 observers comprising not only all 27 EU members but also all European countries except Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Vatican City. When adopted by the CoE, it was to represent not just itself, but the whole of Europe. Since both the EU and the CoE represent European unity, the two organisations are using the same flag.
Anthem
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The European anthem is based on the prelude to "The Ode to Joy", 4th movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Due to the large number of languages in Europe, it is an instrumental version only with the original German lyrics having no official status. The anthem was announced on 19 January 1972 by the Council of Europe after being arranged by conductor Herbert von Karajan. The anthem was launched via a major information campaign on Europe Day, 5 May 1972.
It was adopted by European Community leaders in 1985. It does not replace national anthems, but is intended to celebrate their shared values.[3] It is played on official occasions by both the Council of Europe and the European Union.
In addition to The Ode to Joy, there are other classical scores that identify pan-europeanism. The European Broadcasting Union uses the prelude of Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Te Deum as its hymn. It is played before and after every Eurovision Song Contest. The UEFA Champions League Anthem has since 1992 been played before each UEFA Champions League game. It is an arrangement of Georg Frideric Handel's "Zadok the Priest" from the Coronation Anthems.
Europe Day
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"Europe Day" is a celebration of Europe held annually on either the 5 or 9 of May due to differences between the CoE and EU. 9 May 1950 was the date of the "Schuman Declaration", the proposal to pool the French and West German coal and steel industries. This is considered a founding moment for what is now the EU and was adopted as its flag day at the Milan European Council summit in 1985. The CoE was founded on 5 May 1949 and hence chooses that date for its celebrations. It established this date in 1964 and, despite a preference for 9 May, it is still observed by some European because of the CoE's role in defending human rights, parliamentary democracy and the rule of law, whereas the Schuman declaration was merely proposing the pooling of French and German coal and steel. Furthermore, 9 May coincides with Victory Day, the end of World War II (celebrated on May 8 or 5 in western Europe), in the former Soviet Union states.
European Union
The symbols of the Council are also the symbols of the European Union (except for a slight difference in the date of Europe Day, see above). There are further symbols created by the European Union which reflect European unity or the EU itself.
Motto
United in Diversity, or Unity in Diversity, (Is translated into all 23 languages / Latin: In varietate concordia) was adopted as the European Union's motto in 2000 following an unofficial process. Unity in Diversity was selected from entries proposed by school pupils submitted to the website www.devise-europe.org, and then accepted by the President of the European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine. United in diversity was written into the English-language version of the failed European Constitution, and now appears on official EU websites.
Translations
- Official EU languages[4]
- Bulgarian -
Единни в многообразието
- Czech -
Jednota v rozmanitosti
- Danish -
Forenet i mangfoldighed
- Dutch -
Eenheid in verscheidenheid
- English -
United in diversity
- Estonian -
Ühinenud mitmekesisuses
- Finnish -
Moninaisuudessaan yhtenäinen
- French -
Unie dans la diversité
- German -
In Vielfalt geeint
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- Languages of EU candidates
- Croatian -
Ujedinjeni u različitosti
- Macedonian -
Обединети во различноста (Obedineti vo različnosta)
- Turkish -
Çeşitlilikte birlik
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The euro and its symbol
The euro has become one of the most tangible symbols of European integration.
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Main articles: Euro and Euro sign
The euro was not one of the original symbols created by the CoE and is specific to the EU, but it has become a symbol since it replaced 12 national currencies in 2002.[6] It is now used by most EU Member States and hence it (along with its currency symbol) has become one of the most tangible symbols of European unity for citizens of the European Union (though this of course is not intended to apply to wider Europe as the others do).
Presidency insignia
Since the 1990s, every Presidency of the EU Council has had its own logo and visual profile. These sets of colours and designs follow much of the political life of the EU in the 6-month period of length of the presidencies.
Recent events
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Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxemburg, 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. |
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—Final Act, Official Journal of the European Union, 2007 C 306-2[7]
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The ill-fated European Constitution would have legally enshrined the flag, motto, anthem and euro as being official to the EU. The upcoming Treaty of Lisbon does however not mention the symbols, apart from the euro being made the official currency of the union. Despite being dropped from the new treaty, the EU symbols will continue to be used as before. In comparison, some countries such as the United Kingdom have not formally adopted their national flag in any form, but are used nonetheless in a de facto manner.
Although the symbols are not mentioned in the body of the Treaty of Lisbon itself, a declaration by sixteen Member States on the symbols, including the flag, 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."[7]
See also
 Symbols of the European Union |
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References
External links
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