US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday congratulated the European Union (EU) on winning the Nobel Peace Prize this year. "Let me congratulate the European Union on its Nobel Peace Prize. Certainly it's quite remarkable to see how unified and peaceful Europe is in the 21st century, and that did not happen by coincidence," the top U.S. envoy told reporters after meeting with her Italian counterpart Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata at the State Department. "It happened because of the very hard work and dedication of leaders and citizens across Europe," she added. "So for us, it's a great validation as well." The EU was awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing " peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe" for over six decades, Thorbjoen Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said earlier in the day.