Unlike the rest of his major rivals in the campaign, Macron staunchly supported the embattled European Union. And to many of the tens of thousands of French citizens living in London, who are dealing with the fallout of Brexit, Macron’s victory was the strongest sign in years that the European Union has a stable future.

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“This was the first time a presidential candidate really stood behind the idea of Europe and defended it against its critics,” said Eloise Bodin, 21, a politics and economics student at the London School of Economics. “Today, I’m really proud of my country.” Bodin watched the election results at the Square Pig, a pub in central London where hundreds had gathered to celebrate with Scotch eggs, French wine and E.U. flags

Estimates of the number of French expats who live in London vary between 90,000 and 400,000. No matter their position on Brexit, all have a lot at stake in the coming two years as the European Union negotiates Britain’s exit from the bloc. Among other things, the negotiations will determine whether French citizens have the right to stay in Britain, which is guaranteed under the European laws Britain is hoping to toss out.

Pierre Marc, a 23-year-old Macron campaigner, said the memories of Brexit were still on his mind. “I was on vacation in France at the time and thought everything would be okay until I turned on the TV,” he said. Then came the election of President Trump in the United States and mounting fears that right-wing populist parties would win elections in Europe this year and start dismantling the European Union.

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Although a Le Pen victory could have been the beginning of the end of the union, partyers at the Square Pig saw Macron’s victory as something like Europe’s counter-Brexit. Many people even waved E.U. flags as the news rolled in.

Yet many Macron supporters also acknowledged that the Brussels-based union has to adapt to survive. “Macron is someone who loves the E.U., but he is also someone who knows that it needs to change,” Marc said.

Speaking to the BBC this past Monday, Macron promised to push for such changes as president. “[We] have to face the situation, to listen to our people, and to listen to the fact that they are extremely angry today, impatient and the dysfunction of the E.U. is no more sustainable,” he said.

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Anouk Canet, a 23-year-old Macron voter, agreed with those comments, saying: “Germany has led the E.U. for years now and we need to change something about it. Being in the E.U. needs to be more valuable for France again, too. Macron will only have a very short window of opportunity to facilitate those changes and if he fails, populism might gain momentum again.”

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But for at least one night, Canet and Macron’s other supporters in London allowed themselves to enjoy the victory and feel some hope. “Macron stands for a renewal of France and of the European Union,” said Salvatore Berger, 22. “He has already proven to the world that we aren’t a depressed, but a rather optimistic country.”