On Europe day, PostEurop is proud to launch the 2019 most beautiful EUROPA stamp competition, based on the theme “National Birds”. Stamp collectors and bird lovers alike can appreciate the diversity of birds found across Europe and the role it plays in our environment. This is especially so today, as the world faces many ecological challenges when it comes to protecting and preserving wildlife.
Europe, with its rich and diverse geography is home to almost 900 species of birds and many nature lovers. Today we can easily state that Birds are not only amazing creatures that graze the sky, but they also play an important role in our planet's ecosystem keeping the balance of nature. Their migration routes contribute greatly to the biodiversity found throughout the European territory, where pollination plays a key role. They are also a natural way to control pests in gardens, on farms, and other places.
Historically, Birds were used as symbols in emblems and crests from royal families to great empires. For example, the eagle was a symbol of power and strength in Ancient Rome and it has been connected by the Greeks to the God Zeus and by the Germanic tribes with Odin. These symbols have stood the test of time and we can still see these symbols in our modern day.
Each country in Europe has its own array of birds and the "national bird", is a symbol that makes up the distinct identity to that country. For this year's EUROPA stamps, Philatelic designers managed to capture these beautiful creatures in their own natural habitats telling us more about the bird, its habitat, journey and what it stands for.
Thus, PostEurop is inviting all naturalist and philatelic enthusiasts to fly together with this beautiful theme, by exploring the diversity found in these 2019 EUROPA Stamps on www.posteurop.org/europa2019 and cast a vote for their favourite stamp.
"It is with great excitement that I welcome these beautiful entries depicting European National Birds as part of the chosen 2019 EUROPA theme. This year, we have also decided to bring innovation into the philatelic world. For the first time ever, some EUROPA Stamps will be brought to life, via a smartphone App technology. This mobile app allows us to get closer to the beautiful creature on the stamp and to listen to its unique sounds, which can take us into the world of nature any single moment. Given this, we also wish that EUROPA will be able to help with promotion of European Ornithology, which reflects the magnificent biodiversity that we have throughout Europe" said Agnieszka Trząskowska, Chair of the PostEurop Stamps & Philately Working Group.
Click here to download the app - IOS - Android
View and Vote for Your Favourite EUROPA Stamp Today
We invite you to view all the beautiful entries and vote for your favourite stamp on www.posteurop.org/europa2019. The online competition will end on 9 September 2019 and the winning stamps will be announced at the PostEurop Plenary Assembly to be held on October 2019 in Jersey.
More about EUROPA Stamps
Since 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a symbol of Europe’s desire for closer integration and co-operation. These special stamps are issued by the European postal administrations/enterprises and bears the EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark. Since 1993, PostEurop has been the responsible organisation for issuing EUROPA stamps and each year, philately experts within the Philately working group organise the competition amongst other philately initiatives. See more information on www.posteurop.org/europa
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For more information, please contact:
Cynthia Wee-Neumann
Communications Manager
T: +2 2 773 11 92
POSTEUROP is the association which represents European public postal operators. It is committed to supporting and developing a sustainable European postal communication market accessible to all customers and ensuring a modern and affordable universal service. Our Members represent 2 million employees across Europe and deliver to 800 million customers daily through over 175,000 counters.
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