Angela Merkel

French president François Hollande calls for Greek deal now while Germans say there can be no agreement before Sunday's referendum.

French officials said claims that Germany's BND agency had helped US spy on France were not new and that trust had since been 're-established'.

No official reaction from Paris over claims Angela Merkel's office knew German officials were carrying out economic espionage for the US.

Shared sorrow over Germanwings plane crash has brought two countries closer together, as shown at inter-government meeting in Berlin.

Officials fear leaving Paris unpunished for persistently failing to curb its budget deficit may make it harder for euro to weather a future crisis.

The French president and German Chancellor warned of further sanctions against Russia if Ukraine ceasefire continues to be violated.

The surprise peace initiative was announced by President Hollande as he held a key-note press conference in Paris.

President Hollande agreed that Europe needed to spur more growth – but said that Greece also had to abide by EU rules and obligations.

Sections of the Left in France greeted Syriza's triumph in the Greek elections on Sunday with great enthusiasm, with some hailing it as an “historic moment”. But the success of the Greek party, which unites various left-wing groups, has also highlighted the continuing divisions on the Left in France and its own failure to create a lasting electoral coalition. At the same time the challenges facing the new Syriza government, which is seeking to end austerity and renegotiate its debt burden with the EU and international bodies, underline the problems facing any left-wing administration in Europe. A key question is whether France's own socialist president, François Hollande, will now seize the opportunity to change economic direction and push the EU and Germany to back more growth-oriented policies. First, Mediapart's Stéphane Alliès, in Paris, examines how the French Left will react to the Greek results, then Brussels correspondent Ludovic Lamant wonders whether any truly left-wing policies can be carried out by national governments under current eurozone rules.

The emotional march, which is expected to attract more than a million people, will be led by relatives of the victims of last week's attacks.

Poll says 72 percent hold favourable opinions of German chancellor, way above President Hollande's ratings which have sunk as low as 12 percent.

Michel Sapin says countries need to respect each others’ history and national identity - otherwise extreme parties will gain more support.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon Tweets attack after German leader asked France for more budget tightening; German minister strikes softer tone.

German chancellor says she agrees with European Commission analysis that Paris has begun reforms but has not yet gone far enough.

The German chancellor insisted that all EU member states must 'respect in full' the stability pact as France's 2014 deficit is set to rise.