AlQa'dah 6, 1433, Sep 22, 2012, SPA -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met Saturday to mark 50 years of friendship between the two nations, even as their struggle to move the eurozone out of its long-running debt crisis loomed over the celebration, dpa reported. "We are at the heart of Europe," Hollande said in front of 650 spectators in the courtyard of Ludwigsburg palace in south-western Germany, urging the two nations to forge closer political and economic bonds. The two leaders were attending a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of a speech in Ludwigsburg by French president Charles de Gaulle, in which he famously told the post-war youth of Germany to be proud of their country and called for friendlier Franco-German relations. But the problems of present day Europe could not be escaped, with the two holding a working lunch on the sideline of the palace ceremony. Merkel said governments of the 17-member currency bloc should meet regularly to discuss ways to increase their competitiveness and align economic policies. "How do we achieve more growth?" should be the question at the forefront of the discussion, Merkel said, adding that countries must "strictly adhere to their national homework." On the newly proposed banking union for the currency area, Merkel said the two nation's views were "not apart." Recently there have been reports of differences between Paris and Berlin on the timetable of establishing a supervisory body to oversee the eurozone's 6,000 banks. Merkel and Hollande said they were still examining the planned merger between EADS, the parent company of Airbus, and Britain's BAE Systems to form a new aerospace and defense behemoth. France and Germany each control 22.5 per cent of EADS. "Decisions have not been made," said Merkel. "France and Germany remain in a very close contact" on the issue. -- SPA
