Germany's Merkel calls for EU coordination at UN's top table

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says European Union countries on the U.N. Security Council should coordinate their activities better, speaking as Germany hopes to win a two-year stint on the council.

France will be the only EU country with a permanent seat after Britain leaves the 28-nation EU next year.

Germany has long sought a permanent seat. Along with Belgium, it's expected to win a non-permanent seat Friday. Germany last held such a seat in 2011-2012.

Merkel said in Berlin Thursday that, as long as there is no fundamental U.N. reform, "we should, whenever a European member state gets a non-permanent U.N. seat ... coordinate these seats Europe-wide and make them practically European seats."

She said that would "greatly strengthen the consistency and coherence of our foreign policy."