Nobel Peace Prize awarded to European Union

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission president had no reason to expect anything but another bad day. Then, out of the blue, after three years of backbiting and seemingly daily financial crisis, the European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize for fostering peace on a continent long ravaged by war.

It was a badly needed morale boost for a 60-year-old union. But even as it announced the award yesterday, the Norwegian prize jury warned that the financial crisis challenging the 27-nation bloc's unity could lead to a return to "extremism and nationalism."

It urged Europeans to remember the EU's role in building peace and reconciliation among enemies who fought Europe's bloodiest wars, even as they tackle the economic crisis that threatens its future.

The award was hailed at EU headquarters in Brussels and by pro-EU leaders across Europe, but derided by "euroskeptics" who consider the EU an elitist superstate.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso was beaming as he said, "The Nobel Peace Prize committee . . . [is] now sending a very important message to Europe that the European Union is something very precious, that we should cherish it for the good of Europeans and for the good of the entire world." -- AP