Philatelic document - Europa 70 years

In 1956, six founding countries of the European Union (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) launched the idea of strengthening ties between European nations with a philatelic project: the joint issue of stamps under the EUROPA logo. Seventy years later, fifty-three postal administrations have joined the initiative, and to mark the occasion, PostEurop organized a competition on the theme "70th anniversary of the EUROPA stamp: United in...". Fifteen proposals were put to the vote by fifty postal operators, who chose the Finnish design (Posti Ltd) by artist Klaus Welp. This Finnish-German designer, renowned for his artistic and journalistic career, and winner of numerous national and international awards for his illustration, graphic design and video work, has already created over 120 stamps for Finland. "In today's turbulent world, there is a growing need for peace, unity and a strong sense of community, as well as reliable communication systems. A well-functioning national postal service is a fundamental pillar for democracies, as it ensures security and connectivity for citizens," said the lucky winner. Klaus Welp explored a visual concept that combines both abstract and symbolic elements to represent seventy years of joint efforts around postal service performance against a backdrop of colorful gradations evoking the European flag, energy and the continent's cultural diversity. With this graphic design for 2026, EUROPA stamps once again celebrate the coming together of peoples around shared values, and continue to inspire philatelists the world over.

Timbre-poste (héliogravure) : conception Klaus Welp, mise en page Valérie Besser. Document philatélique : mise en page Valérie Besser. Cachet d’oblitération : conception Valérie Besser. Texte : Fabienne Azire.