BERLIN, June 3 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the weekend that there is no need in the next few years to allow more powers to the European Commission, instead of focusing on more cooperation on economic issues between European Union (EU) member states.
"I see no need in the next few years to give up more powers to the Commission in Brussels," Merkel said in the interview with Der Spiegel newsweekly on Sunday.
Merkel said she agreed with French President Francois Hollande during their talks last week that the EU member states should cooperate more on economic issues as "Economic policy coordination in Europe is far too weak."
Merkel and Hollande met in Paris on Thursday to coordinate Franco-German position ahead of a summit later this month and map out a new joint plan to fight unemployment and strengthen competitiveness in Europe. They decided to push for a full-time chief to oversee the eurozone's economic policy. That post is currently appointed for a two-and-a-half-year period.
The German chancellor, in the interview, also did not appear to be supportive of the idea of directly electing the president of the European Commission in an EU-wide vote, saying that a directly elected president of the Commission would have completely different powers than is the case today.
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