France's Macron calls for EU reforms, higher spending

BERLIN - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday accused Germany of being too austerity and made strong plea for reforms in Europe, when he received prize for his contributions to European integration.

In a ceremony held in western German city of Aachen, Macron was awarded the prize for his contributions to European cohesion and integration.

In his acceptance speech, Macron praised Europe for maintaining 70 years of peace on the continent and outlined his vision for the future, calling for more unity among member states and warned that the divisions that appeared during the eurozone and migrant crisis risked undermining the EU.

He urged Germany to get over its "fetish" for budget surpluses and work with France on forging deeper economic cooperation.

"In Germany, there can be no eternal fetishism for the budget and trade surpluses, because they are made at the expense of others," said Macron in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The French president warned that the EU budget must be "much more ambitious," and made a strong plea for profound reforms in Europe.

"We have to risk something, we have to act now....We have to muster the inner strength to really want this Europe." Europe should not remain an "unfinished symphony" of yesterday, "but we must write a new score".

Macron also noted that Europe had the task of creating peace and stability in the Middle East too, emphasizing with regard to the US withdrawal of the Iran nuclear deal. "We must not just accept something, we need European sovereignty."

Merkel praised Macron's enthusiasm, commitment and courage, saying that "you're bursting with ideas and have revived the European debate with new proposals."

The award should be not only confirmation of the right way, but also encouragement and incentive to continue the journey confidently. "I'm looking forward to working with you on this journey," Merkel said.

The Charlemagne prize is named after the founder of the Holy Roman Empire who built a continental European empire. Charlemagne was crowned at Aachen in the year 800.