Anthem of Europe

This article is about the anthem of all of Europe. For the national anthem of Kosovo, see Europe (anthem).

European Anthem
Official anthem of the Council of Europe and the European Union
MusicLudwig van Beethoven, 1824
AdoptedCoE: 1972, EU: 1985
Audio sample
"Ode to Joy" (instrumental)
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The European Anthem or Anthem of Europe, also known as Ode to Joy, is a piece of instrumental music adapted from the prelude of the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony composed in 1823, originally set to words adapted from Friedrich Schiller's 1785 poem "Ode to Joy". In 1972, the Council of Europe adopted it as an anthem to represent Europe, and later in 1985 it was also adopted by the European Union.

Its purpose is to honour shared European values. The EU describes it as expressing the ideals of freedom, peace, and solidarity. The anthem is played on official occasions such as political or civil events.

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