Merkel presses SPD for coalition talks, says EU needs stable German govt

Chancellor Angela Merkel piled pressure on Monday on the Social Democrats (SPD) to rejoin a “grand coalition” with her conservatives. She argues that the EU and the wider world urgently needs a stable German government in place, Reuters said. “There are European elections in 2019… so there is a big expectation that we take positions,” she told reporters. The  chancellor referred to proposals by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and by French President Emmanuel Macron on the future governance of the EU’s currency and economic union. Merkel also cited conflicts in the Middle East, tensions with Russia and relations with the US as factors that required a Germany “capable of acting.”