![](/img/user-photo-library/92/9218916eac-235.png)
EU Barcode
First published: Tuesday August 1st, 2023
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What is this?
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/20/20f5adbfa2-450.png)
Is this an evil prank on vexillologists, an original barcode or a color blindness test? No. This is the flag proposed by the architect (that's a dutch scoundrel) Rem Koolhaas back in 2002.
Yeah. He is an admirable architect, but in the world of flags the modern style... not really suitable.
Of course, it is possible that he wanted to laugh at those who should have made this flag (although in comparison with Turkmenistan, he nervously smokes on the sidelines).
This flag (very roughly speaking) is not any lines, but stripes of the flags of the EU member states Moreover, even they are distributed according to a certain principle.. Therefore, as befits a barcode, it can be deciphered!
Let's decode a barcode!
British Islands
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/dc/dc284eaa33-450.png)
From the very first details, the flag got knocked up.
It's quite simple to guess the front pages: these are, of course, red Celts.
But the next ones are much more difficult. This is not Iceland, as you might think (it is not included in this gathering), but Britain.
Iberia
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/43/43dabd5611-450.png)
Without coats of arms, these flags are difficult to guess, but these are Portugal and Spain. To the question why Portugal is the first — because Spain and Britain would be gnawed next to each other.
Particulièrement spécial
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/0c/0ca8199bc9-450.png)
Easy to guess France is the only one, so there is not even anyone to unite it with.
Benelux
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/90/90f6d806f9-450.png)
There are generally three misses.
Why put the world's evil (it seems someone hacked my phone) and the Netherlands next? He's Dutch, he knows that nothing good will happen.
Also, I could not understand the origin of this bold red line — it turned out that the flags of Evil and the Netherlands merged together.
And you can see for yourself that the Netherlands is repeated twice. It seems that in this way Koolhaas is trying to deny the existence of Luxembourg.
A̶x̶i̶s̶ Central Europe
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/17/17751207b7-450.png)
RED!
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/a2/a26a6e9431-450.png)
Here we are! A true masterpiece of torture art!
Try to figure out which bands belong to whom here. After looking at this, you stop believing in human kindness.
And now the transcript of this:
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/3f/3f02e07af7-450.png)
Scandinavia
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/f1/f128c795da-450.png)
Svenska and Suomi distinguished themselves with very thin stripes in the middle (although these stripes are quite wide on the original flags), which is why they knock Denmark out of their Nordic club.
GREECE
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/62/6206beb21b-450.png)
A powerful blunder! How can you draw the flag of Greece with only 7 stripes, and not 9? Total chaos!!!
Well then....
![](https://jetpunk.b-cdn.net/img/user-photo-library/b5/b58af6d78b-450.png)
As you understand, this blog is more of an fun joke, like this flag, more like a farce. I hope the story with this barcode will wean us from the idea of doing such entertaining, but absurd things. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for the blog :)
Well if it was proposed nowadays it would definitely be worse.
Not sure if its already been mentioned though, but this design has been used in the EU parliament I believe, not as an actual flag but as more of a banner/placard in the assembly hall.
(Remember me?) ;)