- Title: Macron's election offers chance for more dynamism in EU - Merkel
- Date: 15th May 2017
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MAY 15, 2017) (REUTERS) CDU PARTY LEADER AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL AND WINNER OF SUNDAY'S STATE ELECTION IN NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA, ARMIN LASCHET ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE AT CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS (CDU) PARTY HEADQUARTERS PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU PARTY LEADER AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "Ladies and Gentlemen, yesterday was a day of great joy for us. In North Rhine-Westphalia the CDU has become the strongest party and Armin Laschet therefore has received a clear mandate to form a state government." MEDIA JOURNALIST TYPING ON LAPTOP (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU PARTY LEADER AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "Germany's future lies in Europe. Germany will only do well in the long-run if Europe does well. The election of the new French president offers us here the possibility to bring dynamism into the development of Europe." WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU PARTY LEADER AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ON THE REFUGEES CRISES CHALLENGES WITH REGARD TO THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN SEPTEMBER, SAYING: "According to our necessary political action it's now all about integration. I just mentioned the solidarity in our society and we still have a lot of work to do. But I see this as a consequent process that shows we achieved something wonderful in 2015." PAN FROM MEDIA TO NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS MERKEL LISTENING TO LASCHET SPEAKING CLOSE OF MERKEL'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU PARTY LEADER AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "As of yesterday Emmanuel Macron is President of the French Republic. He has won the election and he has asked his people to take an optimistic view into the future. I think, he has a pretty good idea of the things that have to be done and don't have to be done in France and I am the last person to tell France what it should do. Everything we have done is well known but we are not in a position to tell France what it should do. Rather, I have every confidence that the new president knows what to do and will lay that out to us. And then we will discuss our cooperation. He will represent the interests of his country and I will represent Germany's interests. I am very sure that there will be a lot of overlapping edges." VARIOUS OF SPECTATORS ON BALCONY WITH SMARTPHONES (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU PARTY LEADER AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "Maybe we can learn something from France for a change if the French president proposes something. So I will go into this with an open mind and full of sympathy. I have imposed myself with the idea not to act as a know-it-all but to start this cooperation in a friendly spirit and as partners and with great respect for each other." MERKEL SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU PARTY LEADER AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ON THE DECISION BY THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT TO BLOCK A GROUP OF GERMAN LAWMAKERS TO VISIT GERMAN SOLDIERS CURRENTLY SERVING A NATO MISSION AT TURKEY'S INCIRLIK AIR BASE, SAYING: "This is unfortunate and we have pointed that out through different channels. We will continue talks (with Turkey) but at the same time we will have to explore other ways of fulfilling our mandate because we already had problems once with visits. That means looking at alternatives to Incirlik and one alternative, among others, is Jordan. I can only repeat what I said the first time we had problems: the German army is a parliamentary army. That's why it is absolutely essential for our lawmakers to be able to visit our soldiers." VARIOUS OF MEDIA
- Embargoed: 29th May 2017 16:01
- Keywords: election NRW North Rhine-Westphalia Incirlik Turkey EU Macron Merkel
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0016GY7O7B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The election of Emmanuel Macron as French president opens up the possibility of generating more dynamism in the European project, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said ahead of a meeting with Macron later on Monday.
"Germany's future lies in Europe. Germany will only do well in the long-run if Europe does well," Merkel told a news conference after a meeting of her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), victors in a regional German vote on Sunday. "And the election of the new French president offers us here the possibility to bring dynamism into the development of Europe," she added.
Emmanuel Macron's travel schedule reflects his political priorities. The day after his inauguration, the new French President is visiting Berlin. He needs German support for his vague yet visionary plans for reforming the euro zone. Yet electoral success for Chancellor Angela Merkel's party on Sunday will not make it any easier for Macron to win over a neighbour sceptical of sharing more of the single currency area's financial burden.
Merkel also talked about a dispute between Germany and Turkey regarding a decision by the Turkish government to block a group of German lawmakers from visiting troops stationed at Turkey's Incirlik air base. The Chancellor said Berlin may move its soldiers to another country if Ankara does not grant permission adding it was essential for lawmakers to be able to visit the more than 250 soldiers serving at Incirlik air base in Turkey, where they are involved in a NATO mission targeting the Islamic State militant group in Syria. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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