THE European Union has been awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize for six decades of work in advancing
peace in Europe.
The committee said the EU had helped to transform
Europe "from a continent of war to a continent of peace".
The award comes as the EU faces the biggest crisis of its
history, with recession and social unrest rocking many of
its member states.
The last organisation to be given the award outright was
Medecins Sans Frontieres, which won in 1999.
Announcing the award, Nobel committee president
Thorbjoern Jagland acknowledged the EU's current
financial problems and social unrest.
But he said the committee wanted to concentrate on the body's
work over six decades of advancing "peace and reconciliation,
democracy and human rights".