Germany's Merkel says EU must boost security cooperation, funding

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel visits the Grand Place with Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel in Brussels, Belgium, January 12, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on European Union members on Thursday to increase their security and defence cooperation because there was no "guarantee of perpetuity" in relations with the United States.

Europe faced growing challenges within its own borders and in nearby regions, including migration, increasing terrorist threats, the war in Syria, violence in eastern Ukraine and poverty and famine in Africa, she said.