Angela Merkel vowed to prioritise EU integration along with France and turn her attention back to global issues such as Syria as she was formally nominated to return as German chancellor, The Times writes.
Mrs Merkel, 63, sounded a note of urgency after spending about six months mired in coalition negotiations.
Expectations are high in Paris where President Macron outlined his ambitious agenda for EU reform in September after the German election.
Mrs Merkel does not share his enthusiasm for a finance minister for the 19-nation eurozone and has yet to say where she stands on his other ideas such as European universities and common EU tax rates.