Merkel open to budget, finance minister for EU

The French President and the German Chancellor on Thursday said it was necessary to maintain a close dialogue with their United States counterpart, despite disagreements on topics such as the fight against global warming.

"I have nothing against a Eurozone budget [and] we can talk about creating a European finance minister", Merkel said. "We agree that the eurozone must be stabilised and further developed".

At her turn, Merkel hailed the project, adding that both countries were working to improve cooperation on cybersecurity. He wants a common budget for countries in the eurozone and a finance minister for the countries that share the euro.

Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats are expected to win the German election.

Mr Macron is keen to revive the traditional "engine" behind European integration - the post-war alliance of Paris and Berlin that ended centuries of conflict.

"I believe that we have shown shortly after the new government here was installed that we are ready to activate Franco-German relations with a new impetus", Merkel said at a joint news conference following the meeting.

But Brexit - along with perceived threats from the United States under Mr Donald Trump - has given the bloc a renewed sense of goal.

The fund created by the European Union last month, with an annual budget of 5.5 billion euro ($6.1 billion), lays the basis for permanent military cooperation.