Barroso: Peace prize is "honour" for 500 million EU citizens
Brussels - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize was a "great honour for all 500 million citizens of Europe."
"It is justified recognition for a unique project that works forthe benefit of its citizens and the benefit of the world," he said.
"At its origins the European Union brought together nations emerging from the ruins of the devastating Second World War andunited them in a project for peace built on supranational institutions representing the common European interest," Barroso said.
The award "shows that even in these difficult times, the European Union remains an inspiration for countries and people all over the world," he added.
The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said meanwhile awarding the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union Friday was "a message to Europe that we should do everything we can to secure what we have achieved and move forward."
"This proves actually how important this union is for Europeans because of the (historic) background," Jagland told reporters, adding that the EU was "a great peace project."
