70th anniversary of the first EUROPA stamp By Pertti Frandsen This year marks 70 years since the first EUROPA stamps were issued. As many of our readers and collectors will be aware, the series began in 1956 as the so-called CEPT stamps, named after the European postal cooperation European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administra- tions (CEPT). The aim was to mark the cooperation between Europe’s postal services while creating a common philatelic tradition. Since 1993 the series has been coordinated by PostEurop, the European association of postal operators working in close connection with the Universal Postal Union (UPU). Every year a large number of European countries issue stamps with a common theme or design, making the EUROPA series one of the world’s most renowned and collected international stamp themes of its kind. Consequently, this anniversary year, 2026, marks seven decades of European collaboration and creativity in the field of stamp art, from the first CEPT stamps to the current EUROPA issues. The 2026 EUROPA stamp features a common design for all participating postal services. It has been created by the Ger- man-Finnish artist Klaus Welp. The design underscores the series’ concept of a common European visual expression. Tusass Greenland is issuing the stamp in Greenland on 8th May 2026. At the same time, a special accompanying stamp created by the Greenlandic-Latvian artist Bolatta-Silis Høegh will be issued. Her design acts as a colourful contrast to Welp’s design and can be perceived as an Arctic artistic response to the common EUROPA design. Together, the two stamps form a visual pair in which the international artistic premise meets a distinctly local Greenlandic interpretation. Stamp 01100816 EUROPA 2026: 70th anniversary of the first EUROPA stamp Design: Klaus Welp Denomination: DKK 22.00 Date of issue: 8th May 2026 10 stamps per sheet External dimensions: 40 x 30 mm Typography: Gutenberg AG Printing method: Offset Paper: FSC SECURPOST G PW 110 g/m² 4 Greenland Collector About Klaus Welp Finnish-German artist and designer working with graphic design, illustration and visual communication. He is known for a visual style that combines simple shapes and vivid colours with symbolism and conceptual thinking, often focusing on community, movement and connections between people. He has achieved international notoriety through his work with stamp design and visual identities. 01301238 Stamp booklet No. 35 2026 EUROPA : 70th anniversary of the first EUROPA stamp Date of issue: 8th May 2026 Inc. 6 examples of each of the two stamps printed on self-adhesive paper. Price: DKK 318.00 Buy the booklet
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