Macron aiming for eurozone "convergence" with Germany by March

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday he hoped to make progress with Germany on ideas to reform the euro zone by March, once Germany has a new coalition government in place, and agree a "roadmap" with all eurozone leaders by June next year.

Speaking at a news conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel after an EU summit, Macron said a "stable, strong Germany" was in everyone's interests to advance European integration and that decisions would flow from that.

"Our aim is to have an agreement in March because at that stage a political step will have been completed in Germany and we will have the capacity to construct together much more clearly on these issues," Macron said of eurozone reform.

"Do I think that we can have a joint position and have joint solutions? I not only think we can, but I want it."

Asked about his ideas for a eurozone budget, Macron said that in his Sorbonne speech in September, delivered two days after the German election, he had not made any mention of a specific size for the budget in terms of points of GDP. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Writing by Luke Baker; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)

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