Do the number of stars on the European flag represent the Member States?
The number of stars on the European Flag has always remained the same, ie 12. It was adopted by the European Community in 1986. This same flag had been used to represent “Europe” by a different organisation, the Council of Europe since 1956. In 1946, the Council of Europe established a committee to discuss the issue of a “european” emblem. Many different proposals were discussed but the final result was the flag you see today. 12 gold stars on a blue background. The 12 stars were chosed as twelve is the symbol of perfection; there were 12 apostles, 12 hours in the day, 12 hours in the night, 12 months of the year, 12 signs of the zodiac. The colours blue and gold were the original colours of the Count Richard Coudenhove Kalergi who first proposed a Pan European Union in 1923. See also emblems of the European Union.
