Chancellor Angela Merkel said her conservatives reached a breakthrough deal Friday with Germany’s second biggest party, the Social Democrats, toward building a new coalition government that would give Europe a “fresh start”. Merkel voiced relief that the parties had passed a milestone, telling a press conference that “the world is not waiting for us — we need a fresh start in Europe. A fresh start for Europe is also a fresh start for Germany.”European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the German deal was “significant” and “positive” for the EU’s future. Merkel initially turned to two smaller parties, the Free Democrats and Greens, to form a new coalition government for her fourth term. Political observers also judge that Merkel, damaged by the poor election outcome, is now in the twilight phase of her reign.

Source: The Guardian January 12, 2018 12:22 UTC