News

In the second half of 2013, the logo of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU will become one of the most visible and widely used symbols associated with the country.

The logo will adorn publications, gifts and souvenirs for guests visiting Lithuania, decorations in the Justus Lipsius building (the Council of the EU headquarters), and venues that will host official presidency events.

Traditionally, every country holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) selects its own presidency logo. This is a visual form of identity, as well as a message that each country wants to spread about itself and its presidency philosophy.

‘The success of the EU depends not only on the efforts of the presidency-holding country, but also on the ability of all other partners – EU Member States and institutions – to reach agreement. The circle in the logo of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU is a symbol of unity, representing Lithuania as an honest mediator that will seek to harmonise differing positions,’ says Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vytautas Leškevičius.

The logo refers to the united European Union, the countries of which want to and can work together, foster European values, and can overcome all the challenges that arise. The colours of the logo symbolise Lithuania's close relations with the Baltic and the Nordic regions, while the blue bow of the EU flag represents the universally shared values and activities. The garland of the Lithuanian national flag’s colours – yellow, green, and red – completes the logo circle. This link symbolises the responsibility for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union that is trusted to Lithuania in the second half of 2013.

Both the general public and design professionals were involved in the creation of the presidency logo. An open competition was called in 2011, inviting submissions from all those interested in contributing. Over 600 ideas for the logo were submitted. The winning idea by Simona Mykolaitytė – a multi-layered circle representing that the EU protects Lithuania and works with it for the common good – was developed by Kotryna Zilinskienė, who is a member of the Lithuanian Graphic Design Association and the creative director at PRIM PRIM. Mrs. Zilinskienė became the author of the official logo for the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

‘Creating a logo for this occasion is a huge responsibility and honour. I tried to be faithful to Simona Mykolaitytė’s logo idea that won the competition, albeit adding distinctiveness to the logo. It thus retains the circle and echoes the colours of the Lithuanian and EU flags, but I also added the motif of a garland and changed some of details,’ Mrs. Zilinskienė says.

The logo’s motifs have been on the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU’s website and official profiles in social networks (#EU2013LT, https://www.facebook.com/eu2013LT) since March. It was officially presented on 10 May 2013 at ‘The Winds of Europe’ kite festival in Vilnius, in the attendance of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė. During the event, the logo was raised into the sky, as well as were the kites sending greetings to both Lithuania and Europe.