Merkel sees ‘common ground’ with Social Democrats on Europe, calls for speedy talks

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that she saw promising areas of common ground with the Social Democrats (SPD) on the future of Europe and close cooperation with France. She also called for speedy efforts to form a stable new government, Reuters reports. “The world is waiting for us to be able to act,” said Merkel, after meeting with leaders of her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) to discuss possible negotiations about renewing a “grand coalition” with the SPD, which has governed Germany for the past four years. Merkel said the country needed a stable government to work closely with France and take advantage of the historic opportunity to strengthen Europe in 2018 before the next European elections in 2019.