While currently not living in a member state of the EU, I am rather pleased that not rather questionable individuals such as former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who had been on the list of potential laureates many times and probably even this year, had been awarded but the great idea behind the creating of such a confederation after two devastating world wars of the last century which had mainly been unleashed by Germany. The Prize today may point to the dire prospect of the entire continent, though.

After the nonsensical decision of the Oslo Committee in 2009 (Barack Obama) and a very much appreciated one last year (to, among others, Yemeni heroine Tawakkul Karman), and considering the dramatic economical problems caused by the single currency, the Euro, the award must again be regarded as the Nobel Prize Committee’s appeal to solving the current crisis. It is true that the EU prevented another war after 1945 in Europe (not those in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s) and might have endorsed many democratic movements in non-member states which are now craving to join. The current Euro crisis may well lead, however, to a split-up in the very near future. Whether the Committee’s appeal today will be able to prevent this is highly questionable.

Whether the €930,000 prize money will help the people in Greece or Spain, well, probably not.

12 October 2012 @ 10:20 am

Last modified October 12, 2012.