Merkel Ends Deadlock in Coalition Deal With Social Democrats

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc has concluded a coalition agreement that hands a half-dozen ministries -- including the key foreign and finance portfolios -- to her Social Democratic allies, a move that will likely bolster the country’s commitment to greater European integration.

Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union will get five ministries, including defense and economy, and the CDU’s Bavarian sister party will take three, according to a copy of the coalition agreement obtained by Bloomberg. German media reported that Social Democrat party leader Martin Schulz will serve as foreign minister, Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz will oversee finance, and Horst Seehofer -- chief of the Bavarian Christian Social Union -- will get interior.