More than 20 EU heads of state and government leaders were present at the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony at the Oslo City Hall on Monday. Present were also King Harald and members of the Royal Family.
Never before have so many state and government leaders been assembled in Oslo at one time.
In his award ceremony speech, Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland said that Europe has moved from being a continent of war to a continent of peace, thanks to the European Union.
- In the middle of a difficult period of time for Europe, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has wanted to recall what the European Union means to Europe", Jagland said.
The presidents of the EU's three main institutions were presented with the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize was being received jointly by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Martin Schulz.
In his acceptance speech, Cpouncil President Van Rompuy paid tribute to the post-war leaders of France and Germany who had forged the EU by uniting their economic interests.
He praised what he called "the EU's secret weapon - an unrivalled way of binding our interests so tightly that war becomes impossible".
Prior to the award ceremony, the three EU presidents had been received in audience by King Harald at the Royal Palace.
Following the ceremony, the Norwegian government will host a lunch for the EU heads of state and government leaders. The lunch has been termed a working lunch, and afterwards the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, will have political talks with individual EU leaders.
In the evening there will be the traditional Nobel Peace Prize Banquet, followed by the usual torch light parade in honour of the Nobel Prize laureates.
The three EU presidents will greet the parade from the balcony outside the Nobel Suite at the Grand Hotel.
(NRK)
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Before he headed back to Germany after the Nobel Peace Prize celebrations, President of the EU, Martin Schulz requested a special visit to Utøya, the scene of the July 22nd massacre in Norway.
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During their stay for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, the EU leaders discussed the economic situation in Europe, at a working lunch hosted by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
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The Norwegian police estimate that they will be spending between NOK 10 and 17 million on security precautions in connection with the Nobel Peace Prize festivities in Oslo this week.
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The Oslo police have imposed a ban on all non-commercial air traffic over the Norwegian capital during the Nobel Peace Prze celebrations next week. The air force will monitor the air space.
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Roughly two weeks before the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded in Oslo, the police still do not know who will attend the ceremony, and what level of security they will require.
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Norway officially became a member of the Asia-Europe Meeting process during the opening ceremony of the 9th ASEM Summit in Vientiane, Laos on Monday. (Photo: Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg)
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Even though the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, over 70 per cent of Norwegians remain opposed to EU membership.
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In Norway, only one out of four is positive to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union, according to a poll made for Aftenposten by ResponsAnalyse .
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