European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday urged German Chancellor Angela Merkel to form a strong coalition government as soon as possible to help "shape the future" of the EU.
Merkel met with her party Monday the day after winning a fourth term with a far weaker mandate in a general election, facing the double headache of an emboldened nationalist opposition party and thorny coalition talks.
Juncker spoke by telephone to Merkel and wrote to her to congratulate on her "historic victory", his spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters in Brussels.
"In the light of the important global challenges, Europe needs a strong German government now more than ever, one able to actively shape the future of our continent," Schinas quoted Juncker as saying in the letter.
"And in his letter president Juncker expresses his belief that the negotiations on the coalition government will contribute to that effect."
Germany is the EU's most populous country and biggest economy, and Merkel has taken a leading role dealing with a series of crises from eurozone debt to Brexit.
Asked about the success in the election of the anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which became the third strongest party, Schinas said that "the commission has faith in democracy".
Juncker stressed the "need to avoid complacency, distinguish between those questioning our policies from those who are simply out to destroy the European Union, and the need to... face up to the populist discourse and explain Europe better," Schinas said.
The success of the AfD comes just a week after Juncker used a flagship annual speech to say that Europe had the "wind in its sails" again and was moving on from the populist challenges of Brexit and the election of US President Donald Trump.
