EU leaders congratulate Obama, pledge to boost ties

EU leaders on Wednesday congratulated Barack Obama for his reelection to the White House, saying they look forward to boosting ties with the United States and cooperating on global challenges. European Union President Herman Van Rompuy, who was first to react, wrote on his Twitter account: "Very happy about the reelection of President Obama." Shortly after, Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso published a statement in which they addressed their "warm congratulations to President Obama". "The United States is a key strategic partner of the European Union and we look forward to continuing the close cooperation established with President Obama over these last four years, to further strengthening our bilateral ties and to jointly addressing global challenges, including in the fields of security and economy," they said. They also "look forward to meeting President Obama at an early date in order to reconfirm our priorities and provide renewed impetus to our joint action".