EU wins Nobel Peace Prize for promoting democracy

The Nobel Peace Prize was today awarded to the European Union, an institution currently wracked by crisis but is credited with bringing more than a half century of peace to a continent ripped apart by World War II.EU Parliament head 'touched, honoured' | Full list of Nobel Peace Prize winners | Institutions that have won

The Nobel Peace Prize was on Friday awarded to the European Union, an institution currently wracked by crisis but is credited with bringing more than a half century of peace to a continent ripped apart by World War II.

"The union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe," Nobel Committee president Thorbjoern Jagland said in Oslo.

"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," he said, explaining this year's prize decision. Institutions that have won

The award is however a surprise at a time when European solidarity is facing its most daunting challenge in decades amid deep rifts between a south drowning in debt and a wealthier north, led by Germany, only reluctantly coming to the rescue.

The prize recognised "the unique effort by ever more European states to overcome war and divisions and to jointly shape a continent of peace and prosperity," Van Rompuy said on Twitter after the award was announced in Oslo.

Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland announces the European Union as the recipient of the 2012 Nobel Peace prize in Oslo, Norway. AFP

A file photo taken in Lille, northern France shows flags of European countries displayed in front of a flag of the EU. AFP