The European Union on Wednesday congratulated President Barack Obama on his re-election and said it hoped for robust relations with the United States, dpa reported.
"The US is a key strategic partner of the EU and we look forward to continuing the close cooperation, ... to further strengthening our bilateral ties and to jointly addressing global challenges, including in the fields of security and economy," EU President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.
They pledged to work with Obama "to unlock the unparalleled potential of the trans-Atlantic market."
European Parliament President Martin Schultz meanwhile said: "What unites the EU and the US is far greater than what divides us."
EU-US relations have been strained by a carbon emissions dispute. Europe has also come under pressure from Washington to resolve its economic crisis.