16 October 2012

Courageous step or joke? EP political leaders debate Nobel Peace Prize for EU

Nobel prizes have a history of sparking debate, and this year's peace prize for the EU is no exception. Although many MEPs hailed it as a welcome boost at a time of crisis, others were more sceptical about the honour.

Joseph Daul, the French leader of the Christian Democrat group, said: "Europe is at a crossroads and this prize was awarded at the best time possible. It is good to be reminded that Europe is at its best when it is united. It reminds me of the courage of our founding fathers, who in the wake of global conflict, met to work together to ensure peace and prosperity. It also reminds me of a Europe, which found itself again, after the fall of the Iron Curtain. And it reminds me that for sixty years the EU has brought peace and prosperity to this continent."

"In these times of crisis, the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union is an important and courageous step by the jury in Oslo", commented Hannes Swoboda, the Austrian leader of the social democrat group. "Today, we do not need less Europe or a step back towards nation states, but more Europe. The Nobel Peace Prize is both a recognition of our achievements and a new challenge. It means that the European Union must further strengthen its commitment to peace. Despite legitimate criticisms of the current problems in the EU, it is a peace project in a double sense: securing peace within the EU without becoming complacent and continuing to work to promote peace in other regions of the world."

"It is also a very clear message that the vision of the Union's founding fathers of overcoming historic division and coming together for the interest of all is a message that still resonates today", added  Guy Verhofstadt, the Belgian leader of the Liberal Democrat group. "Faced with a resurgence of nationalism and eurosceptic attitudes, it is still necessary today to fight for the spirit promoted by the Union's forefathers."

Gabriele Zimmer, the German leader of the Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left, said: "To do justice to the prize, the EU will have to reverse its current policies. EU external policies have to be based on solidarity and cooperation, not on unfair trade agreements, military interventions and resource interests. Inside, we need a social compact for more social justice and equality, more democracy, and not a fiscal compact pushing many people into poverty. The EP and national parliaments will have to be the key players for a future Europe."

Tory MEP Martin Callanan, the British leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, said: "I do not buy the argument that without the political institutions of the EU we would have seen Europe return to its dark days. Many organisations, people and factors have contributed to European ‘peace’. In the middle of the 20th century they included the USA, NATO, the UN, the European Coal and Steel Community. Later in the century peace and reconciliation was driven by the strength of the West's free market model, interventions by inspirational leaders such as Reagan, Thatcher and the Pope; and the struggle of brave people in movements such as Solidarnosc or the Velvet Revolution. Few living individuals have contributed more to the cause of peace and unity in Europe than the Iron Lady herself so I can think of no better individual to collect the prize than Lady Thatcher."

UKIP MEP Nigel Farage, the British co-chairman of the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group, said: "I laughed heartily on hearing the news. It is a huge joke. The EU has helped cause poverty and unemployment for millions which is leading to escalating violence in Southern Europe and antipathy towards bailouts in the North. This brings the Nobel Peace Prize and the politicised committee which awarded it into disrepute."

Press release

© European Parliament