flag: Australia
Unicode: 1F1E6 1F1FA
Description
The flag of the European Union, featuring a circle of 12 yellow stars on a blue background.
Group:
Flags > country-flag
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Represents the European Union, European identity, unity, and cooperation. It can evoke feelings of belonging or pride for EU citizens, or symbolize European affairs and politics more broadly.
Backstory
The flag of Europe was designed in 1955 for the Council of Europe and later adopted by the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1986, which subsequently became the European Union. The 12 stars symbolize perfection, completeness, and unity, not tied to the number of member states.
Usage Examples
- Discussing EU politics: 'The latest developments in the EU parliament 🇪🇺'
- Referring to travel within the EU: 'Planning a trip around Europe this summer 🇪🇺'
- Expressing European identity: 'Proud to be European 🇪🇺'
- Reporting on European news: 'European leaders meeting today 🇪🇺'
Cultural Differences
Within EU member states:
Often used to express national pride combined with European identity, or in political contexts related to the EU.
Outside EU member states:
Primarily used to refer to the European Union as a political or economic entity, or to indicate a context related to Europe as a whole.