NOBELPRIZE.ORG (Norway), TWITTER
OSLO - The 2012 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the European Union for having "contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe" for more than six decades, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced.
Thorbjørn Jagland, head of the Oslo-based Nobel Committee, said the EU was being recognized for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in the midst of the Union's biggest crisis since its creation.
Jagland also cited Europe’s role in bringing France and Germany closer together, saying that "the stabilizing part played by the European Union has helped to transform a once torn Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace."
Read the full statement here.
The decision has drawn mixed reactions among social media users, with Twitter buzzing with both praise and mockery:
It is a great honour for the whole of the #EU, all 500 million citizens, to be awarded the 2012 #Nobel Peace prize.
— Jose Manuel Barroso (@BarrosoEU) October 12, 2012
I suppose could have been even sillier: they could have awarded EU the Nobel for economics #saynotonobel
— Benedict Brogan (@benedictbrogan) October 12, 2012
Next year, the Nobel peace prize will be awarded to planet earth for not self-imploding #NobelPeacePrize
— Asma I. AbdulMalik(@AsmaIMalik) October 12, 2012
Given the recent Peace Prize winners, one has to wonder if the Nobel committee has redefined the word "Peace" & just not told the world yet
— Mohamed Nanabhay (@mohamed) October 12, 2012
I hope the Nobel committee wins the Nobel next year for promoting peace.
— Haryana ka lathhmaar (@YearOfRat) October 12, 2012
Since 1901, 92 Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded. In the words of inventor Alfred Nobel, the Peace Prize is to be given to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."
