The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded this year's Peace Prize to the European Union and for it's and it's predecessors' six decades of contribution to peace and reconcilliation, democracy and human rights.
The citation goes on:
In the inter-war years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee made several awards to persons who were seeking reconciliation between Germany and France. Since 1945, that reconciliation has become a reality. The dreadful suffering in World War II demonstrated the need for a new Europe. Over a seventy-year period, Germany and France had fought three wars. Today war between Germany and France is unthinkable. This shows how, through well-aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners.
In the 1980s, Greece, Spain and Portugal joined the EU. The introduction of democracy was a condition for their membership. The fall of the Berlin Wall made EU membership possible for several Central and Eastern European countries, thereby opening a new era in European history. The division between East and West has to a large extent been brought to an end; democracy has been strengthened; many ethnically-based national conflicts have been settled.
The committee noted that the admission of Croatia next year, negotiations with Montenegro and the granting of candidate status to Serbia (as well as the membership of Slovenia) are helping reconcilliation in the former Yugoslavia.
While recognising that the current economic crisis is leading to social unrest...
The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to focus on what it sees as the EU’s most important result: the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights. The stabilizing part played by the EU has helped to transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.
So raise a glass of cognac to Jean Monet and Robert Schuman
, the two great Founding Fathers of the EU who show that bankers and lawyers can come up with ideas to benefit humanity.