title: German coalition talks collapse is 'bad news for Europe': Dutch minister
text: BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The collapse of German Chancellor Angela Merkel s talks to form a three-way coalition government is  bad news for Europe  given the leading role of the European Union s biggest member state, the Dutch foreign minister said on Monday.  Germany s political crisis was weighing on the euro and European shares after the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) unexpectedly pulled out on Sunday from weeks of talks with Merkel s conservatives and the ecologist Greens.  It s bad news for Europe that the government in Germany will take a little longer,  new Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said on arrival for talks with EU peers in Brussels.  Germany is a very influential country within the EU so if they don t have a government and therefore don t have a mandate it ll be very hard for them to take positions.  Germany s outgoing EU Minister Michael Roth, a member of the Social Democrats who are not in talks on forming a new Merkel government, said:  We all have an interest in getting a mandate so that we are able to take care fully of business in Europe.   We have never had such a situation in Germany. So, given the collapse of these exploratory talks, we will need to assess the situation and decide accordingly.  The spokesman for the EU s executive arm in Brussels stressed the need for stability in Germany, as did an official in French President Emmanuel Macron s office.  We are confident that the German constitutional process will provide the basis for the stability and continuity that has been a trademark of German politics and we hope this time will not be different,  said the European Commission s Margaritis Schinas. While some in Germany spoke of a possible new election, Zijlstra said that was a bad idea and noted that the Dutch government took seven months to form, which meant German parties could still return to talks after a pause. Foreign Minister Didier Reynders of Belgium, which was without a government for 18 months after an election, sought to strike a lighter tone on Germany.  In Belgium we have a tradition to do that, sometimes it s very long,  Reynders told reporters. Zijlstra did not think the situation in Germany affected the Brexit talks specifically for now, as the EU was  waiting for a substantial offer from the British  on the exit bill. Both Roth and Reynders agreed London must make a move on the money now. Arriving at the same talks, the Czech Republic s EU minister, Ales Chmelar, said:  We are hopeful that we will have a strong government in Germany sooner rather than later.  