BRUSSELS:DOMINIC PERTRY may have gone more than 24 hours without sleep but the grin on his face lit up the US election morning party in Brussels.
He had partied all night long with his fellow members of Democrats Abroad before arriving, admittedly a little bleary-eyed, at the diplomatic function hosted by the US ambassadors to Belgium, the EU and Nato.
"Obama will unite Americans and I hope he will unite the world. I think he can bring back respect for the US abroad," said Mr Pertry, a Belgian wearing a blue "Democrats Abroad" T-shirt and loudly toasting the success of Barack Obama to diplomats munching doughnuts.
For political appointees, such as Kristen Silverberg, an Obama victory probably spells the end of her six-month period as US ambassador to the EU. Yet most US career diplomats at the function could barely hide their joy at the prospect of an end to a Bush presidency, which has angered EU allies by invading Iraq and ignoring their views.
"It is a victory for the American people. It shows that American democracy works," said Aaron Jenson, a diplomat at the US embassy to Belgium, who politely declined to reveal whether he was an Obama or McCain supporter.
Neither could EU politicians conceal their delight at the prospect of an Obama presidency, with the German and Dutch finance ministers Peer Steinbrück and Wouter Bos voicing support for him even before US polling booths had closed on Tuesday.
When the election results were announced yesterday morning EU politicians rushed to congratulate Mr Obama. He "has proved once again the . . . capacity for renewal which has so often been evident at difficult moments in American history," said Hans-Gert Pöttering, president of the European Parliament, who invited Obama to give a speech to the parliament in Strasbourg before the planned Nato summit in April 2009.
European Commission president José Manuel Barroso said it was time for a renewed commitment between Europe and the US. "We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world. I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal. For the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world."
Back at the party in Brussels US diplomats worried the Obama-mania that has swept across the Atlantic to Europe may have created unrealistic expectations. For example, top of the EU's wish list is enlisting US support to agree a new World Trade Organisation deal and for an EU-sponsored plan to remodel the global financial system. On both fronts Europe could be disappointed with Mr Obama, who has articulated a more protectionist stance on trade than John McCain. Most US diplomats also doubt whether a new US president would agree to reshape the global financial order along European lines.
There are also real challenges on the horizon in the field of foreign affairs, with Mr Obama likely to ask for a deeper European commitment in Afghanistan. This could create tensions with Germany, says Thomas Bauer, an analyst on transatlantic relations in the field of security and defence.
However, "Obama will promote dialogue with Iran and a new approach to world affairs that includes more dialogue. This will create a much better atmosphere in Europe," he said.
The EU is also hopeful that Mr Obama will deliver on campaign pledges to work towards a global deal on climate change and push towards a Middle East peace deal.
The only EU states that may rue an Obama victory lie in central and eastern Europe. They have got used to a special relationship with the US under George Bush. "The Obama presidency will mean that they will have to fight for the attention and commitment of the new US administration," said Pawel Swieboda, director of the think tank Demoseuropa.