European Union wins Nobel Peace Prize for uniting continent

OSLO (REUTERS, AP, AFP) - The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize for its long-term role in uniting the continent, an award seen as a morale boost for the bloc as it struggles to rein in its biggest crisis since it was created in the 1950s.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the 27-nation EU for rebuilding after World War II and for its role in spreading stability to former communist countries after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

It said the EU received the award for six decades of contributions "to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe".

"The stabilising part played by the European Union has helped to transform a once torn Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace," Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said.