EU Parliament head welcomes Dutch election result

(BRUSSELS) - The president of the European Parliament on Thursday welcomed the outcome of the general election in the Netherlands as a "great result for Europe" as Dutch voters rejected anti-EU parties.

"The mainstream pro-European voices of reason have been well supported and the more isolationist anti-EU parties have been largely rejected by Dutch voters," Martin Schulz said in a statement.

"The result is a sign of confidence in Europe and demonstrates that the constructive approach of the main parties in the Netherlands towards the EU is the right way forward," he said.

"The European Parliament looks forward to working with the new government of the Netherlands once it has been formed."

Dutch Liberal Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Thursday he would work quickly to form a cabinet after winning a solid mandate to battle Europe's debt crisis at the expense of anti-EU populists.

His ruling VVD won Wednesday's election with 41 seats, just two more than centre-left Labour.