The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for promoting peace, democracy and human rights over six decades in an award seen as a morale boost as the bloc struggles to resolve its economic crisis. The committee said the EU had helped to transform Europe “from a continent of war to a continent of peace”.
Speaking in Oslo, Thorbjørn Jagland, head of the Nobel committee, shrugged off the euro’s woes and said the EU had been a force for peace both after the second world war, binding Germany and France together, and following the bloody slaughter of the 1990s in the Balkans.
Thorbjoern Jagland praised the 27-nation EU for rebuilding after World War II and for its role in spreading stability after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. The last organisation to be given the award outright was Medecins Sans Frontieres, which won in 1999.
The EU has transformed most of Europe “from a continent of wars to a continent of peace,” Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said in announcing the award in Oslo. Jagland cited several key EU achievements. He said another conflict between France and Germany was “unthinkable” following 70 years as close allies.
The award comes at a time when the 27-member bloc finds itself in turmoil brought on by the deep eurozone crisis. The notion of a unified Europe was born out of the suffering of the bloodiest war in human memory, which was the last conflict in a series of three fought between the neighboring countries over the course of 70 years, the committee said.
Jagland highlighted the EU’s work in sealing the reconciliation between France and Germany in the decades after World War II. Jagland cited several key EU achievements. He said another conflict between France and Germany was “unthinkable” following 70 years as close allies.
The prize, worth $1.2 million, will be presented in Oslo on December 10. The decision by the five-member panel, led by Jagland who is also Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, was unanimous. The EU won from a field of 231 candidates including Russian dissidents and religious leaders working for Muslim-Christian reconciliation.
Speaking in Oslo, Thorbjørn Jagland, head of the Nobel committee, shrugged off the euro’s woes and said the EU had been a force for peace both after the second world war, binding Germany and France together, and following the bloody slaughter of the 1990s in the Balkans.
Thorbjoern Jagland praised the 27-nation EU for rebuilding after World War II and for its role in spreading stability after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. The last organisation to be given the award outright was Medecins Sans Frontieres, which won in 1999.
 |
| The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for promoting peace, democracy and human rights over six decades in an award seen as a morale boost as the bloc struggles to resolve its economic crisis |
The EU has transformed most of Europe “from a continent of wars to a continent of peace,” Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said in announcing the award in Oslo. Jagland cited several key EU achievements. He said another conflict between France and Germany was “unthinkable” following 70 years as close allies.
The award comes at a time when the 27-member bloc finds itself in turmoil brought on by the deep eurozone crisis. The notion of a unified Europe was born out of the suffering of the bloodiest war in human memory, which was the last conflict in a series of three fought between the neighboring countries over the course of 70 years, the committee said.
Jagland highlighted the EU’s work in sealing the reconciliation between France and Germany in the decades after World War II. Jagland cited several key EU achievements. He said another conflict between France and Germany was “unthinkable” following 70 years as close allies.
The prize, worth $1.2 million, will be presented in Oslo on December 10. The decision by the five-member panel, led by Jagland who is also Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, was unanimous. The EU won from a field of 231 candidates including Russian dissidents and religious leaders working for Muslim-Christian reconciliation.
