EU Nobel "a tragic mistake": Czech President Klaus

(PRAGUE) - Eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Friday said the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the European Union was a "tragic mistake."

"I really thought it was a hoax, a joke. I couldn't imagine even in a dream that someone could be serious about it," added Klaus, quoted by the CTK news agency.

The Nobel Committee announced Friday it had awarded its annual peace prize to the EU which had transformed a continent ravaged by war into one of peace.

Klaus also slammed the prize being awarded to an institution, saying it made sense if awarded to "a specifically defined personality for a certain unique achievement.

"It is an empty prize if given to an institution, moreover a bureaucratic one in this case. I don't know if anyone will dare to actually receive it," said the 71-year-old, whose second and last term as president expires in March 2013.

The Czech Republic, an ex-communist country of 10.5 million, joined the EU in 2004 but has not yet joined the debt-ravaged eurozone.