Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a news conference at the CDU party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that the strong showing of Austria’s anti-immigrant Freedom Party (FPO) in Sunday’s election was a “big challenge” for other parties.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Merkel added that she was hoping for close cooperation with Austria’s conservative election winner Sebastian Kurz at the European level.