European Union Honored with Nobel Peace Prize

By Trey Thoelcke Published Oct 12, 6:13AM EDT

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The Nobel Committee in Oslo today awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union “for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.”

The Nobel committee said in a statement:

In the inter-war years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee made several awards to persons who were seeking reconciliation between Germany and France. Since 1945, that reconciliation has become a reality. … Today war between Germany and France is unthinkable.

The committee’s statement specifically mentioned, Greece, Spain and Portugal, three EU member nations in the midst of economic and monetary crisis. The introduction of democracy was a condition for their membership to the union, as all three countries had seen dictatorships in the 20th century even after World War II.

The five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee said that this year’s winner was selected from among 231 nominations, 43 of which were for organizations and the rest for individuals.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 93 times since 1901. Former winners have included Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and his Israeli counterpart Menachem Begin, South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, and former Tibetan head of state in exile the 14th Dalai Lama, as well as organizations UNICEF, the Quakers, Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross.

About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.