eurealist.co.uk

The Press:

 Down with EU stars, run up stripes
“The rather sombre European Union flag could be replaced by a radical new design taking colours from the banners of all the Member States. If it’s run up the flagpole, will anyone salute it? If the European Union accepts as many as 10 new countries to the already 15-strong club, it is feared the organisation’s flag will become a confusing clutter of stars – the symbol currently used to depict Member States on the blue banner. The current version dating from 1986 is already flagging – as it were – boasting only 12 stars…”
(BBC News Online, 8 May 2002)

In the wind
“EU president Romano Prodi thinks we might be persuaded to fly an EU flag that looks like a cross between a deckchair and British Airways tailfin…”
(The Sun, 9 May 2002)

The Facts:

Although a recent design by prestigious architect Rem Koolhaas provoked much hilarity, this reporting was in fact wide of the mark. The design was included in an independent report which aimed to underline the unique status of Brussels as the capital of both the EU and of Belgium. The familiar EU emblem with its gold stars and blue background is here to stay.

The BBC suggested that the EU is being forced to redesign its emblem as a result of its forthcoming enlargement. This is untrue: the number of stars on the EU emblem has never been representative of the number of Member States. There are 12 stars on the emblem and, currently, 27 Member States. The number of stars is fixed at 12 because this is a number that traditionally symbolises perfection and completeness.

The new design will not feature on signs, stationery or number plates as some reports implied and it was never conceived as a replacement for the current EU emblem.

Notes:

Not Europe it is the EU!  The EU Flag was originally the flag for the Council of Europe and still is, it was later adopted by the EU. The 12 stars have nothing to do with the number of member states.

One wonders why the EU commissioned a new design by a prestigious architect if they did not intend to use it at some point. Just me being cynical.