(Adds Sarkozy's commentw on EU, stance during campaign)
BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said he is optimistic that Nicolas Sarkozy -- elected today as French president -- will play a key role in resolving the EU's institutional and political issues.
Barroso said he telephoned Sarkozy to congratulate the centre-right candidate on his victory over socialist Segolene Royal.
'I know Nicolas Sarkozy well, and I know his desire to ensure that France occupies the position that it ought to on the European scene,' he said in a statement.
'And I have every confidence that Nicolas Sarkozy ... will play a driving role in the resolution of the institutional question and the consolidation of European politics,' he said.
Sarkozy said in his victory speech that 'all my life I have been a European', proclaiming that 'tonight France is back in Europe'.
But at the same time, he called on other European countries 'to hear the voice of the people, who want to be protected' against the changes taking place in the world.
During the presidential election campaign, Sarkozy said he was in favour of adopting a scaled-down version of the European constitution by means of a parliamentary vote, discarding the idea of a new referendum after the 2005 vote in which the French rejected the text.
In the run-up to the poll, Sarkozy also blamed the strong euro for France's economic woes and criticised the interest rate policy of the European Central Bank. victoria.main@thomson.com vm COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.