European Union receives Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel peace prize is a reward for the European Union's "federalist vision" which will carry it through the social conflict and political turmoil unleashed by the eurozone crisis, the bloc's leaders have declared.

The award, controversially given to the EU rather than an individual, has been collected by Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, the Union's two "presidents"

The prestigious award, controversially given to the EU rather than an individual, has been collected by Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, the Union's two "presidents" to the sound of trumpet fanfares and in the presence of the Norwegian Royal Family.

"Ich bin ein Europaer. Je suis fier d'etre europaen. I am proud to be European," said Mr Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, the regular summits of EU leaders.

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, attended the ceremony after David Cameron and six other EU leaders declined to attend the lavish two-day celebrations surrounding the prize.
The secretive Nobel committee's decision to award the peace prize to the EU, at the request of Germany, is controversial in a year marked by riots on streets of many capitals and the looming prospect of an break up amid adeep economic crisis caused by the euro.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Van Rompuy attempted to appeal to the millions of Europeans hit by the eurozone crisis and recession to reassure them that their suffering was worthwhile as part of an project to stop war ever breaking out on the European continent again.

"Where there was war, there is now peace. But another historic task now lies ahead of us: keeping peace where there is peace," he said.

"This couldn't be more clear than it is today, when we are hit by the worst economic crisis in two generations, causing great hardship among our people, and putting the political bonds of our Union to the test."

As European economies suffer their worst recession for 80 years, with soaring unemployment accelerated by economic imbalances built into the euro, the EU president appealed to people not to forget the European dream.

"Parents struggling to make ends meet, workers recently laid off, students who fear that, however hard they try, they won't get that first job: when they think about Europe, peace is not the first thing that comes to mind," he admitted.

"For some, not only joint decisions, but the very fact of deciding jointly, may come into doubt... The presence of so many European leaders here today underlines our common conviction: that we will come out of this together, and stronger. Strong enough in the world to defend our interests and promote our values."

The former Belgian prime minister, 65 also used his speech to reveal that his teenage father was nearly killed in 1940 by Nazi soldiers during the Vinkt massacre in a village where 140 people died. "In 1940, my father, then 17, had to dig his own grave. He got away; otherwise I would not be here today," he said.

Ahead of a Brussels summit on Thursday, where Europe's leaders will discuss proposals to strip national parliaments of the right to set their own country's budget, Mr Barroso hailed the EU as "a remarkable journey which is leading us to an 'ever closer Union'".

"Today one of the most visible symbols of our unity is in everyone's hands. It is the euro, the currency of our European Union. We will stand by it," he said.

Quoting Jean Monnet, the French diplomat credited with being a EU founding father, the European Commission president emphasised that the current Union "is only a stage on the way to the organised world of the future".

"This federalist vision is one of the most important contributions that the EU can bring to a global order in the making," he said.