Thread by @dermot_hodson

My forthcoming book with @YaleBooks on the history of the EU now has a cover. But where did the circle of stars on the European flag come from? 1/12

Heraldically described as ‘on an azure field, a circle of 12 golden mullets, their points not touching’, the European flag was adopted by the Council of Europe in 1955 after a design by Arsène Heitz. The European Community adopted this flag as its own 30 years later 2/12

The European Coal & Steel Community – the first of 3 communities on which the EU was later built – debuted an entirely different flag at Expo 1958. Unlike the European flag, which always had 12 stars, the blue & black stripes initially added a star for each new member state. 3/12

The European flag was ever-present in 1993 as the European Community celebrated the single market's completion but struggled to win approval for the Maastricht Treaty and its plan to create the EU. The cover of U2’s Zooropa captured hopes and fears for this new Europe. 4/12

The Council of the EU denotes the official symbolism of the circle of stars as ‘Unity, solidarity and harmony among the people of Europe’. In his brilliant book Signifying Europe, Johan Fornäs considers several sources of inspiration for this striking emblem, including… 5/12

Pietro da Cortona's Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power (1633-39) 6/12

and the ‘Betsy Ross flag’ of the early United States (1777-95). 7/12

On 23.07.2002, Brussels security guards lowered the blue & black stripes one last time. They handed it to Enrico Gibellieri, president of the Consultative Committee, who passed it to Commission President, Romano Prodi to mark the end of the European Coal & Steel Community. 8/12

Today, the circle of stars adorns everything from euro notes to the blue channel at airports - it has become a powerful marker of the EU's everyday influence. And yet, the European flag is also a contested symbol that has been burned by anti-austerity protestors in Greece… 9/12

….and flown by Georgia’s pro-democracy demonstrators in the face of water cannons. The circle of stars embodies the fundamental values that the EU has done much to promote but too often struggled to uphold 10/12.

My book tells the story of the most ambitious & contentious international organisation ever created. The EU has endured not because of technocrats, I argue, but because national leaders have stood together in times of turmoil despite the rise of right wing populists. 11/12

'Circle of Stars: A History of the EU and the People Who Made It' will be published on 10 October 2023 in time for the EU’s 30th anniversary. Pre-order a copy now from all good booksellers. 12/12
yalebooks.co.uk/page/detail/ci…