(VOVworld) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on Monday to draw up a roadmap to deeper European Union integration and opened the door to changing the EU treaty to facilitate ambitious reform.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting in Duesseldorf, Germany on May 11, 2017 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

A day after Macron’s inauguration, the two leaders struck a consensual tone in Berlin after talks in which they sought to re-invigorate the Franco-German relationship and the European project that has been shaken by the UK’s planned exit. Merkel said that Germany needs France to succeed, emphasizing that Europe will only do well if there is a strong France. She said Germany and France want to develop a road map for the EU’s medium-term perspective, and that it’s necessary to think about how to strengthen the existing EU, particularly the euro zone.