The 2012 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union for its contribution to strengthening peace and democracy in Europe.
The prize is awarded for the work to unite Europe and transform it from a “continent of war into a continent of the world,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo. He is also the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
“The EU and its predecessors have contributed over six decades to strengthening peace, democracy and human rights in Europe,” Jagland said.
The example of France and Germany, he said, demonstrated how mutual trust and joint efforts help historical enemies become close partners.
“In the interwar years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded several prizes to people who tried to reconcile Germany and France. Since 1945, this reconciliation has become a reality. For 70 years, Germany and France have survived three wars. Today, the war between Germany and France seems unthinkable,” – said the chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize.
“The EU made a great contribution to the unification of Europe after the Second World War and played a big role in establishing stability in the former countries of the socialist camp after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989,” Jagland said.
At the same time, Jagland also touched on the economic problems that are now acute for the EU countries.
“The EU is experiencing serious economic difficulties, significant social unrest is taking place. But the Norwegian Nobel Committee would like to focus on what, in his opinion, is the most important result for the EU: a successful struggle for reconciliation and unification, as well as for democracy and human rights “he said.
In 2004, Jagland already nominated the European Union for the Nobel Peace Prize, proposing then to encourage the process of European cooperation.
This year, the list of applicants was 231 candidates, including 43 public and international organizations.
In 2011, 241 contenders fought for the prize given to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Searleaf, Liberian activist Leima Gbovi and Arab Spring activist Yemeni Tawakel Karman.
The prize has been awarded since 1901 and is the most famous and authoritative international award in the field of socio-political and humanitarian activities.
Candidates for a prize under the charter of the Nobel Fund may be nominated by current and former members of the Nobel Committee, advisers appointed by the Nobel Institute, members of national parliaments and governments of various countries.
The list of candidates is made up to February 1, and he, according to the charter of the Nobel Foundation, is kept secret for 50 years, although the names of applicants often become known shortly after their nomination.
The award this year is 8 million SEK (1.2 million US dollars). The award ceremony will be held in Oslo on December 10, the day of the death of Alfred Nobel, the founder of five Nobel Prizes, four of which are awarded in Stockholm.
Among the most likely candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize this year were Afghan human rights activist Simu Samar, the American military Bradley Manning, who secretly handed over to the WikiLeaks portal hundreds of thousands of confidential documents of the US diplomatic service, and WikiLeaks founder Juian Assange, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who is serving conclusion on charges of abuse of authority when concluding gas supply contracts with the Russian side. According to experts, the Egyptian Maggie Gobran, known for helping the poorest children and residents of Cairo, and the Cuban doctor Oscar Elias Biscet Gonzales, who served nine years of human rights work, had great chances to get the prize.
The decision on what the money part of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the European Union will be spent on has not yet been discussed.
“The corresponding decision has yet to be made; today it is too early to talk about it,” the source said.
As the chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, said at a ceremony in Oslo, the prize was awarded to the European Union for work to unite Europe and transform it from a “continent of war into a continent of the world.”
The list of the Nobel Committee included 231 candidates, including 43 public and international organizations.
The prize has been awarded since 1901 and is the most famous and authoritative international award in the field of socio-political and humanitarian activities. The Nobel Prize is 8 million SEK (1.2 million US dollars).
The award ceremony will be held in Oslo on December 10, the day of the death of Alfred Nobel, the founder of five Nobel Prizes, four of which are awarded in Stockholm.
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