Fill in the Blanks EUROPEAN UNION FLAGOnline version Description of European Union flag filling the gaps with key vocabulary. by Alfonso Poza 1 institutions circle 12 flag blue unity stars heads Europe Union In 1955 the Council of was considering what symbol to adopt for itw own use . After much discussion , the present design was adopted : a of 12 gold stars on a background . The number of has nothing to do with the number of member state . There are stars because the number 12 is traditionally the symbol of the perfection , completeness and . The circle is , among other things , a symbol of unity . So the European was born , representing the ideal of unity among the peoples of Europe . The Council of Europe encouraged other European to adopt the same flag . In 1985 , the flag was adopted by all European Union of State and governments as the official emblem of the European .