The Norwegian prize jury urged all Europeans to remember those efforts as they tackle the debt crisis tearing at the 27-nation bloc.
The award was hailed at EU headquarters in Brussels and by pro-EU government leaders across the continent but derided by "euroskeptics" who consider the EU an elitist superstate that strips citizens of their rights and erodes national identities.
The announcement was met with mixed reactions in debt-ridden countries like Spain and Greece, where many blame Germany and other northern EU neighbors for the painful austerity measures like higher taxes and job cuts they have endured to salvage their floundering economies.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the EU for promoting "peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights" in Europe for six decades following the tremendous devastation of World War II.
[...] European unity is being threatened by the debt crisis that has stirred deep tensions between north and south, caused unemployment to soar and sent hundreds of thousands of its citizens into the streets to protest austerity measures.
The debt crisis is also fueling the rise of extremist movements such as Golden Dawn in Greece, which opponents brand as neo-Nazi.
Europe is now stuck in a three-year financial crisis caused by too much government debt.
[...] a fall in government spending has had a damping effect on Europe's economy — in the second quarter of this year, the EU's gross domestic product shrank 0.2 percent compared to the previous quarter.
The region is the U.S.'s largest export customer and any fall-off in demand will hurt U.S. businesses — as well as President Barack Obama's election prospects.
Normally, the prize committee either honors lifetime achievement, like when longtime peace mediator Martti Ahtisaari won in 2008, or promotes a work in progress, such as the 1994 award to Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, which was meant to boost Mideast peace efforts.
The award was hailed at EU headquarters in Brussels and by pro-EU government leaders across the continent but derided by "euroskeptics" who consider the EU an elitist superstate that strips citizens of their rights and erodes national identities.
The announcement was met with mixed reactions in debt-ridden countries like Spain and Greece, where many blame Germany and other northern EU neighbors for the painful austerity measures like higher taxes and job cuts they have endured to salvage their floundering economies.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the EU for promoting "peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights" in Europe for six decades following the tremendous devastation of World War II.
[...] European unity is being threatened by the debt crisis that has stirred deep tensions between north and south, caused unemployment to soar and sent hundreds of thousands of its citizens into the streets to protest austerity measures.
The debt crisis is also fueling the rise of extremist movements such as Golden Dawn in Greece, which opponents brand as neo-Nazi.
Europe is now stuck in a three-year financial crisis caused by too much government debt.
[...] a fall in government spending has had a damping effect on Europe's economy — in the second quarter of this year, the EU's gross domestic product shrank 0.2 percent compared to the previous quarter.
The region is the U.S.'s largest export customer and any fall-off in demand will hurt U.S. businesses — as well as President Barack Obama's election prospects.
Normally, the prize committee either honors lifetime achievement, like when longtime peace mediator Martti Ahtisaari won in 2008, or promotes a work in progress, such as the 1994 award to Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, which was meant to boost Mideast peace efforts.
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