Belgium’s socialist PM hails Hollande victory

Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo praised fellow Socialist Francois Hollande for his French presidential election victory on Sunday and vowed to work with him to bring growth back to Europe.

Di Rupo “warmly congratulates” Hollande after he defeated incumbent right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy in the runoff, his office said in a statement.

Among the few socialists in power in Europe, Di Rupo said he has pleaded for the “necessary budget discipline at the European level to go hand-in-hand with an ambitious growth strategy for the benefit of all Europeans.”

“He is delighted to work with Francois Hollande and other European heads of state and government to put together a plan for growth and job creation,” the statement said.

Seeking to switch the focus away from austerity in Europe, Hollande has vowed to push the European Union to adopt a growth pact to match an agreement on budget discipline that was signed by 25 of the EU’s 27 states.