<p>European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday congratulated far-right leader Giorgia Meloni on becoming Italian prime minister and said she looked forward to "constructive cooperation" with her government.</p>.<p>"Congratulations to Giorgia Meloni on her appointment as Italian Prime Minister, the first woman to hold the post," von der Leyen tweeted.</p>.<p>"I count on and look forward to constructive cooperation with the new government on the challenges we face together."</p>.<p>The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, also welcomed Meloni as Italy's new premier, and tweeted: "Let's work together for the benefit of Italy and the EU."</p>.<p>The congratulations were echoed by the speaker of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who tweeted in Italian that "Europe needs Italy".</p>.<p>Meloni, the 45-year-old leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, was named Italian prime minister on Friday, taking the helm of the EU's third-biggest economy.</p>.<p>She named a former European Parliament speaker, Antonio Tajani, as her foreign minister.</p>.<p>Meloni's coalition wants to renegotiate Italy's portion of an EU post-Covid recovery fund, arguing that the current energy crisis should be taken into account for their disbursement.</p>.<p>But the funds are tied to a series of reforms and analysts say Meloni has limited room for manoeuvre on that issue.</p>
<p>European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday congratulated far-right leader Giorgia Meloni on becoming Italian prime minister and said she looked forward to "constructive cooperation" with her government.</p>.<p>"Congratulations to Giorgia Meloni on her appointment as Italian Prime Minister, the first woman to hold the post," von der Leyen tweeted.</p>.<p>"I count on and look forward to constructive cooperation with the new government on the challenges we face together."</p>.<p>The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, also welcomed Meloni as Italy's new premier, and tweeted: "Let's work together for the benefit of Italy and the EU."</p>.<p>The congratulations were echoed by the speaker of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who tweeted in Italian that "Europe needs Italy".</p>.<p>Meloni, the 45-year-old leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, was named Italian prime minister on Friday, taking the helm of the EU's third-biggest economy.</p>.<p>She named a former European Parliament speaker, Antonio Tajani, as her foreign minister.</p>.<p>Meloni's coalition wants to renegotiate Italy's portion of an EU post-Covid recovery fund, arguing that the current energy crisis should be taken into account for their disbursement.</p>.<p>But the funds are tied to a series of reforms and analysts say Meloni has limited room for manoeuvre on that issue.</p>