German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday endorsed some of the key European reform ideas put forward by her successor to the Christian Democratic Union leadership Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, including a joint EU aircraft carrier.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, who succeeded Merkel as leader of the CDU in December, etched out her vision in a weekend response to French President Emmanuel Macron's proposals for European Union reform.

Read more: Could France take the lead in Europe's nuclear security?

Her essay included a call for a stronger EU border force, a pan-European climate pact and a common market for banking.

A joint European aircraft carrier

In her essay, Kramp-Karrenbauer had noted that Germany and France were already working together on a future European combat aircraft and said that "the next step could be to start on the symbolic project of building a common European aircraft carrier" to underline the EU's global security role.

Merkel, who has previously spoken in favor of greater European defence cooperation, said that a joint aircraft carrier would be a good idea in the future, but added that the bloc does "have to do other things as a priority."

"It's right and good that we have such equipment on the European side, and I'm happy to work on it," Merkel said.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's path to the top of the CDU Merkel's successor, but not a copy The Christian Democrats (CDU) have elected the party's secretary general and former Saarland state premier, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to replace German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Although often dubbed a "mini Merkel" by the German press, Kramp-Karrenbauer (also known as AKK) sets herself apart from the German chancellor with her more conservative policies.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's path to the top of the CDU Down-to-earth image Kramp-Karrenbauer — seen here at an underground press conference at a Saarland mine in 2012 — is known for her grounded leadership style. Born in the village of Völklingen in 1962, Kramp-Karrenbauer was the youngest of six children. As a child, Kramp-Karrenbauer was an avid reader — loaning out German and Russian literature from the library, according to a recently published biography.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's path to the top of the CDU AKK's biggest fan One of Kramp-Karrenbauer's biggest supporters is her husband, mining engineer Helmut Karrenbauer. The couple married in 1984 and live in the village of Püttlingen, where Kramp-Karrenbauer grew up. They have three children together — two sons and a daughter. As Kramp-Karrenbauer's political career began to take off, her husband stayed at home to take care of the kids.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's path to the top of the CDU Making waves in Saarland At the age of 18, Kramp-Karrenbauer became a member of the CDU and steadily rose through party ranks in the state of Saarland. In 2000, she became Germany's first female state interior minister. A few years later in 2011, she became Saarland's first female state premier — later scoring big state election wins and catching Merkel's eye. In February 2018, she became the CDU's secretary general.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's path to the top of the CDU Staunchly Catholic Emphasizing the "Christian" part of the CDU has been one of Kramp-Karrenbauer's priorities. Raised Roman Catholic, Kramp-Karrenbauer ensured that crosses would remain hanging in public buildings in Saarland. She's also faced criticism for her comments on gay marriage and abortion. In this 2013 picture, she shakes hands with former Pope Benedict. She also met Pope Francis at the Vatican last year.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's path to the top of the CDU A carnival fan Although not much is known about her personal life, one thing is clear — Kramp-Karrenbauer loves carnival. She's often seen donning a bright wig or colorful costume. In 2017, she even performed as the "cleaning woman of the Saarland state parliament." She later won a prize for the performance. Author: Rebecca Staudenmaier



A single European seat at the Security Council

Merkel also backed Kramp-Karrenbauer's thoughts on a single European seat in the UN Security Council, saying it was "a very good concept for the future" and would help "to gather the European voices."

Germany has for years campaigned for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council alongside World War II victor nations the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.

"The fact that France is skeptical about a European seat at the UN is well-known," Merkel said.

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Some divergence from Macron

Kramp-Karrenbauer also made some proposals that diverged from Macron's vision, suggesting that the European Parliament should only sit in Brussels and remove its second seat in the northeastern French city of Strasbourg.

She also disagreed with Macron's idea for Europe-wide coordination on minimum salaries, arguing that the "Europeanization of social services and the minimum wage would be the wrong way."

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert stressed at a news conference Monday that Kramp-Karrenbauer's plans for Europe "harmonize with the thoughts of the chancellor."

law/rc (AFP, AP, Reuters)

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