Lost trust needs to be rebuilt after submarine deal, Germany says

Australia's ditching of a submarine contract with France is another wake-up call for the European Union to strengthen its own sovereignty, Germany said on Tuesday, noting it will be difficult to rebuild lost trust after the move.

"We cannot exclusively rely on others but must cooperate, and we have to overcome our differences (within the EU) and speak with one voice," German European affairs minister Michael Roth told reporters ahead of a meeting with his counterparts in Brussels.

"We all need to sit down at a table; lost trust has to be rebuilt - and this will obviously not be easy. But we want to make a constructive contribution," he added.