Macron urges Merkel to fight for EU revival

French President Emmanuel Macron on Oct. 10 pleaded his case for ambitious European reforms, appealing to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to join forces with him and enter the debate.

Speaking in Frankfurt, where he opened the German city's annual book fair alongside Merkel, Macron also stressed the importance of culture in the "redefining" of Europe.

"There is no Europe without culture," he told the audience, highlighting the crucial role language, educational exchanges and the arts have to play in combatting "the languor" gripping the continent.

Merkel for her part praised the "close friendship and solidarity" between the neighbours.

"History shows that in order to further develop Europe, we need impulses from Germany and France," she said.

But she stayed vague on how far she backed her French counterpart's plans for an overhaul of the European project.

In an earlier address to university students in the western German city, Macron reiterated his desire for deeper eurozone integration, including his more contentious calls for a common budget and finance minister.

"If we are ready for common policies on security, digital infrastructure, energy, migration, the fight against terrorism, then who can explain to me why we can't have a common eurozone budget?" Macron said.

He added that he believed European leaders had "one year" to lay out their vision of the bloc's future in the run-up to the 2019 European Parliament elections.