EU parliament chief congratulates Scholz as German election winner

The head of the European Parliament congratulated Olaf Scholz, the chancellor candidate for Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) as winner after a narrow election victory, the first official European Union reaction to the vote result.

"Congratulations on your victory!" David Sassoli, who is also a member of the centre-left political alliance in the EU assembly, said on Twitter.

"After this historic crisis, there is no time to lose: Europe needs a strong and reliable partner in Berlin to continue our common work for a social and green recovery," he said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.