European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso spoke tonight of his hopes for 'constructive co-operation' with Enda Kenny.
The first encounter with Enda Kenny once he forms a Government will centre on demands to renegotiate Ireland's multibillion-euro bail-out deal.
Mr Barroso and Mr Kenny will meet later this week in Helsinki will be welcomed into the family of Europe's centre-right political leaders.
Then they meet again within days at a summit of all EU leaders which will be discussing the terms of a new bail-out mechanism to apply to any future ailing economies in Europe after the temporary system expires in 2013.
Mr Kenny will use the occasion to insist that any lower interest rate applicable for post-2013 bail-outs must be applied retroactively to the current bail-out deal for the Irish.
Mr Kenny went to Brussels a month ago and had a one-hour meeting with Mr Barroso, who was non-committal about the prospects of changing the Irish deal.
Enda Kenny said such a move would help deliver 'hope and confidence' to Irish people about the future.
He acknowledged that the new Irish Government would need 'European co-operation and support' to win a change.
Tonight in a phone call to Dublin, Mr Barroso congratulated Mr Kenny on a 'strong performance' in the election.
A Commission official said Mr Barroso had also expressed 'full confidence' in Mr Kenny and said he looked forward to 'a very close and constructive co-operation' with him.
