It is well known that the European Parliament has long deplored the fact that the Lisbon Treaty did not take on board all the Constitutional Treaty constitutional elements such as an EU flag or anthem, within one single text.
So, not content with the Lisbon treaty, the European Parliament has decided to amend its procedural rules in order to provide official character to the EU flag and the hymn in its activities and premises.
On 9 October, the European Parliament adopted by a large majority, 503 votes in favour 96 against and 15 abstentions, a proposal to amend its rules of procedure, formally recognizing, in this way, its use of the EU flag, anthem and motto. The European Parliament has stressed “the importance of symbols for reconnecting the citizens with the European Union and for building a European identity which is complementary to the national identities of the Member States.”
From now on, the EU flag will fly in all European Parliament premises, and meeting rooms and not just the plenary chamber. The motto, ‘United in diversity’, will be reproduced on all European Parliament’s official documents, and the anthem, Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’, will be performed at the opening of each of each constitutive sitting and at formal sittings.
Moreover, 9 May is formally recognised as the “Europe day.” Taking into account the present financial crisis, the citizens within Europe are generally more concerned if the EU is able to resolve the financial crisis rather than if the EU flag is waving in the European Parliament committee meetings.
The Constitutional Treaty would have made the use of the EU symbols legally binding but EU leaders agreed not including them in the Lisbon Treaty. Nevertheless, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia subscribed a declaration in the treaty’s annex declaring that the EU, the anthem based on the ‘Ode to Joy’ from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, the motto ‘United in diversity’, the euro as the single currency of the European Union and Europe Day on 9 May “will for them continue as symbols to express the sense of community of the people in the European Union and their allegiance to it.”
Timothy Kirkhope MEP has said “Symbols and anthems are often used to promote nationhood, but many MEPs still do not understand that the people do not want to be part of a European nation. The inclusion of the anthem and EU symbols in the parliament’s functioning highlights the federalist intentions of a number of MEPs.” Moreover, Geoffrey Van Orden has said that his constituents in the east of England “do not want a constitution, they do not want the Treaty of Lisbon and they certainly do not want a state called Europe and I think it is an affront to them to try and introduce or give official character to these symbols.”
It remains to be seen if the other EU institutions will follow the European Parliament’s steps.
