We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again.

The French president claimed the powerful German economy thrived from the “weakness” and dysfunction of others.

Mr Macron said: “I have never reproached Germany for being competitive. But a part of German competitiveness is due to the dysfunctionalities of the euro zone, and the weakness of other economies.

“Germany… has a strong economy, but it has demographic weaknesses, economic and trade imbalances with its neighbours and shared responsibilities to give the euro area the future it deserves.”