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Roundup: Germany, France vow to deepen economic, political cooperation

Xinhua, April 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Germany and France, Europe's main economic powerhouses, pledged on Tuesday a tighter cooperation in economy, defense and foreign policy issues following a joint session of the two countries' cabinets.

German and French cabinet members, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, have met here on Tuesday for the German-Franco Minister Council session.

The two countries have discussed issues in various areas, with a focus on bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, defense and foreign policy, according to a statement of the German government.

Based on intensified coordination with each other over the past months, both governments vowed after the session to continue their close cooperation in foreign policy issues, with an aim to secure a lasting and peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis.

Both sides confirmed their joint plan with Italy to develop a new generation of European drones in the period of 2020-2025. The three countries, according to the statement, hope to sign a technical agreement to launch the scheme later this year.

Germany and France also agreed to push forward with new initiatives on joint operations in Africa to strengthen their assistance for maintaining peace and security in African countries.

In order to spur growth and jobs creation in Europe, the two countries pledged to work together to establish cooperation in the core areas of industry, energy and information technology. They expressed support for EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's investment plan aimed at reviving the economy in the bloc.

As for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the EU and the United States, both sides said they would make all efforts to promote the signing of an "ambitious, global and mutually beneficial deal" on TTIP by the end of this year. They also reaffirmed their commitment to transparency in the trade negotiations.

To ensure a worldwide leadership of Europe in the digital field, Germany and France expressed support for drawing a digital agenda in this regard. The economy ministers of both countries, said the statement, are scheduled to hold a joint conference on digital economy in autumn, which will cover such issues as start-up businesses, industry 4.0 and big data.

In addition to economy, defense and foreign policy issues, the governments of the two countries also agreed on coordination and cooperation in the fields of justice and home affairs, climate protection, as well as education and research.

Since 2003, the regular session of German-Franco Minister Council is held in the two countries alternately and co-chaired by the French president and the German chancellor. The two sides usually use the important mechanism of bilateral consultation to unveil mid-term cooperation plans. Endit