European symbols
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The Council of Europe (COE) has developed a series of European symbols for the continent of Europe, and these have since been shared with the European Union (EU). They are intended both as symbols of the organisations themselves, and as a focus for a form of Pan-European identity.
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[edit] Flag
The flag of Europe is twelve golden stars (pointing upwards) in a circle on a blue background. Although the flag is most commonly associated with the European Union, it was initially used by the Council of Europe in 1955, and is considered to represent Europe as a whole as opposed to any particular organisation such as the EU or the COE.
The flag was adopted in 1985 by all EU heads of State and government as the official emblem of the European Union and, since the beginning of 1986, it is used by all European institutions.
The Council of Europe — which does not have an organic link with the European Union — owns the intellectual property of the European flag.
The flag has also given Europe its "national colours" of blue and yellow.
[edit] Emblems
[edit] Institutions and bodies
[edit] Interinstitutional services and agencies (decentralised organisations)
[edit] Anthem
(Dernier mouvement de la Neuvième symphonie (Ode à la joie) / van Beethoven, Ludwig (compositeur); von Karajan, Herbert (arrangeur))
- Ode to Joy (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- String version from 1997.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
- Ode to Joy (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Electric keyboard version.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
In 1971 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to propose adopting the prelude to the Ode To Joy from Beethoven's 9th Symphony as the European anthem. The Council of European Ministers officially announced the European Anthem on January 19th 1972 at Strasbourg: the prelude to "The Ode to Joy", 4th movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th symphony.
The well-known conductor Herbert von Karajan was asked to write three instrumental arrangements - for solo piano, for wind instruments and for symphony orchestra and he conducted the performance used to make the official recording. He wrote his decisions on the score, notably those concerning the tempo. Karajan decided on crotchet = 120 whereas Beethoven had written minim = 80.
The anthem was launched via a major information campaign on Europe Day in 1972.
In 1985, it was adopted by EU heads of State and government as the official anthem of the then European Community - since 1993 the European Union. It is not intended to replace the national anthems of the Member States but rather to celebrate the values they all share and their unity in diversity, it expresses the ideals of a united Europe: freedom, peace, and solidarity. [1].
The European anthem is based on the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony composed in 1823, which contains a modified version of the lyrics of Friedrich Schiller's ode, An die Freude (German for Ode To Joy) written in 1785. This poem expresses Schiller's idealistic vision of the human race becoming brothers - a vision Beethoven shared.
It is played on official occasions by both the Council of Europe and the European Union.
Due to the large number of languages used in the European Union, the anthem is purely instrumental and the German lyrics have no official status. For the German lyrics refer to the article about the 9th Symphony. A suggestion for Latin lyrics to the anthem has been written by the Austrian composer Peter Roland, but the lyrics has not been accorded official status, and is not used by the EU [2]. This anthem was also sang by the Spanish singer Miguel Ríos, in 1970.
13/04/2004 Council of Europe: Hip hop version of European Anthem goes on sale to public
A Council of Europe CD featuring the world’s first hip hop version of the European Anthem went on sale today to the public. The CD, entitled “Variations”, contains several other musical styles of Beethoven’s famous Ode to Joy, including symphony orchestra, church organ, piano (classical and jazz), rock guitar, jazz violin, techno and trance versions. The CD also contains a booklet explaining the origins of the European Anthem and the European flag. [3] [4]
20/06/2005 European Anthem: Council of Europe CD features new classical recording
A Council of Europe CD features a new classical recording of the European anthem, based on Beethoven’s “the Ode to Joy”. The CD is being released in Strasbourg today, at the start of the June session of the organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly. The new recording was made by the symphony orchestra of SWR, the German regional broadcaster based in the Black Forest town of Baden-Baden. The orchestra, which was conducted by Roland Kluttig, performed a rhapsody arrangement by the French composer, Christophe Guyard. The CD, entitled “Variations”, also includes hip hop, techno and jazz versions, as well as classical interpretations for piano and church organ. It was originally released in January 2004. The official version of the anthem, which is shared by the Council of Europe and the European Union, remains the 1971 arrangement by the conductor Herbert von Karajan. [5]
CD: The European Anthem / l'Hymne Européen "Variations" http://europeananthem.waterpiperecords.de/
To some people, the use of music arranged by Herbert von Karajan, is contentious as he willingly joined the Nazi party in 1935.
[edit] Europe Day
The Council of Europe has celebrated its founding on 5 May 1949 as "Europe Day" since 1964.
What is now the European Union adopted 9 May as "Europe Day" at the Milan summit in 1985, to celebrate that Robert Schuman presented his proposal on the creation of an organised Europe, indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations, on 9 May 1950. This proposal, known as the Schuman declaration, is considered by many to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union.
9 May is now the more commonly observed date, though some Europeans still prefer 5 May, since the Council of Europe was designed to defend human rights, parliamentary democracy and the rule of law, while the Schuman speech was simply proposing a sharing of French and German coal and steel. Incidentally, May 9 is also celebrated in many former Soviet Union countries as Victory Day, the end of World War II. This is celebrated on May 8 in most Western European countries, but is celebrated on May 5 in the Netherlands and Denmark, and May 7 in Norway.
[edit] Motto
An EU motto, In varietate concordia (Latin for united in diversity), was first established through an unofficial process in 2000. It 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. The modified version, United in diversity, has been written into the English-language version of the currently stalled Constitution for Europe, and now appears on official EU websites. See www.eurominority.org for the motto in many languages not listed below.
Interestingly, the proposed change would make the motto essentially the same as the South African motto officially adopted in 2000-04-27: "!ke e: /xarra //ke" in /Xam, an extinct Khoisan language. "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika", translated as "Unity in Diversity", is also the national motto of Indonesia. It is also similar to "E pluribus unum" (Latin for "out of many, one"), one of the mottos of the United States of America. Unity in diversity is the present official motto of Papua New Guinea.
[edit] In the official languages of member-states of the EU
- Bulgarian - Единни в многообразието
- Czech - Jednotnost v rozmanitosti
- Danish - Forenet i mangfoldighed
- Dutch - Eenheid in verscheidenheid
- English - United in diversity
- Estonian - Ühinenud mitmekesisus
- Finnish - Erilaisuudessaan yhdistynyt / Moninaisuudessaan yhtenäinen
- French - Unis dans la diversité
- German - In Vielfalt geeint
- Greek - Ενότητα στην πολυµορφία
- Hungarian - Egység a sokféleségben
- Irish - Aontaithe d'ainneoin na héagsúlachta
- Italian - Uniti nella diversità
- Latvian - Vienotība dažādībā
- Lithuanian - Vienybė įvairialypiškume
- Maltese - Magħqudin fid-diversità
- Polish - Jedność w różnorodności
- Portuguese - Unidos na diversidade
- Romanian - Uniţi în diversitate
- Slovak - Jednota v rozdielnosti
- Slovene - Združeni v raznolikosti
- Spanish - Unidos en la diversidad
- Swedish - Förenade i mångfalden
[edit] In other languages used by EU citizens
- Aragonese - Unitos en a dibersidá
- Basque - Aniztasunean bat eginik
- Breton - Unanet el liested
- Catalan - Units en la diversitat
- Corsican - Uniti in a diversità
- Esperanto - Unuiĝintaj en diverseco
- Frisian - Ienheid yn ferskaat
- Galician - Unidos na diversidade[citation needed]
- Latin - In varietate concordia
- Luxembourgish - Eenheet an der Verschiddenheet
- Russian - Единство в разнообразии
- Sardinian - Umpare in sa diversidade.
- Scots - Ae mynd, monie kynd[citation needed]
- Scottish Gaelic - Aonachd ann an eugsamhlachd
- Welsh - Yng nglym mewn gwahaniaeth
- Rusyn - Единство в раздилности
- Turkish - Çoklukta birlik
- Ukrainian - З'єднанi в рiзноманiтностi (Zjednani v riznomanitnosti)
[edit] In languages used in the candidate countries
- Croatian - Ujedinjeni u raznolikosti
- Macedonian -Обединети во различноста
- Turkish - Çoklukta birlik
[edit] In languages used in the potential candidate countries
[edit] Draft EU constitution
The Convention on the Future of Europe proposed in Article IV-1 (The symbols of the Union) of its draft Constitution for Europe, July 18, 2003:
- The flag of the Union shall be a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background.
- The anthem of the Union shall be based on the Ode to Joy from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven.
- The motto of the Union shall be: United in diversity.
- The currency of the Union shall be the euro.
- 9 May shall be celebrated throughout the Union as Europe day.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "The symbols of the EU", Europa website.
[edit] European flag
- Council of Europe Logo and the European Flag
- European Flag and Insignia
- Why the European flag has been chosen : European Navigator
[edit] European anthem
- Original choir version
- The European Anthem and downloads - Council of Europe website
- The European Anthem - European Commission website
- Easybyte - free easy piano arrangement of "Ode to Joy / EU European Union Anthem" plus midi sound file
- European anthem European Navigator
[edit] Europe day
- Good background by the European Commission Representation in the United Kingdom
- An article on Europe Day and the European Union by Mark Steyn
- European commission poster: European Navigator
[edit] European motto
- Draft European constitution, 18 July 2003, Article IV-1, The symbols of the Union. (It's on top of p222 in all languages but Swedish.)
- Une devise pour l'Europe
- The EU at a glance (official EU site)
- The European motto (Eurominority site)
