Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel hold a joint press conference at the European Council on December 15 | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Merkel, Macron: We ‘want’ joint eurozone vision by March German chancellor and French president put on united front after EU summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday they aim to reach a common position on eurozone reform by March of next year.

"There are different suggestions on the table, and I discussed with the French president yesterday that we will bring positions together by March," Merkel said at a joint press conference with Macron at the end of the European Council summit in Brussels.

Merkel said there was agreement that "we aim for a banking union" and that finance ministers would negotiate the steps to advance that project.

On discussions over a future eurozone budget, Macron played down the importance of the size of such a budget. He said the important thing would be to first define the aims of a eurozone budget and the size would then follow from that.

Asked if he thought France and Germany could reach a common position on eurozone reform, Macron said: “I don’t just think so, I want it.”

Merkel, for her part, said: “I want it, and where there’s a will, there’s a way.”