Nobel Peace Prize 2012 awarded to EU:

Successful struggle for peace, reconciliation, EU's important achievement - Savage

Priyanka Kurugala

Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize 2012 is a reward for the European Union, for it's achievements in the field of reconciliation, democracy, promotion of Human Rights and in enlarging the area of peace and stability across the continent during the past six decades, European Union delegation head to Sri Lanka Bernard Savage said.

"This will encourage the EU to engage in further activities in the future to promote and protect world peace," he said.

He was speaking at a ceremony to mark the European Union winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2012.

The EU won the award for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and Human Rights in Europe.

In its announcement on October 12, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said its decision was based on the stabilising role the EU played in transforming most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace. Savage said the EU's most important achievement, is the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights.

The work of the EU represents "fraternity between nations" and amounts to a form of the "peace congresses" cited by Alfred Nobel as criteria for the Peace Prize in his 1895 will, he said.

The European Union is the 21st international organisation which won the award since 1901.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the award recognised the EU as the "biggest peace-making institution ever created. Citizens in all our countries can be proud to be Europeans".

European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, saw the award as "a very important message to Europe that the EU is something very precious, that we should cherish it for the good of Europeans and for the good of the entire world".