VALLETA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday said transatlantic co-operation remains a priority for the EU.
Addressing a news conference after an informal EU summit in Malta, Tusk said the cooperation between the EU and the United States remains an "absolute priority" for the bloc because it has until now been "a key pillar of the free world".
He underlined that in the face of concern at recent decisions by new U.S. administration, the EU has no other option than to regain confidence in its own strength.
At the Malta summit, EU leaders discussed the bloc's future following the June 23 Brexit referendum, and was also the first gathering of EU leaders after Donald Trump became U.S. President.
Leaders of the EU 27 states -- without British Prime Minister Theresa May -- will meet to discuss a roadmap a post-Brexit future that they will unveil at a March 27 summit in Italy.
The summit will mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, out of which the EU was born.