BERLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of France and Germany plan to put forward proposals in May for a deeper economic and monetary union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday at a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande.

"France and Germany together want, by May, to put forward proposals - in preparation for the June European Council - for the stabilization and deepening of the economic and monetary union. It is about a deeper cooperation in economic policy with the goal of social security, employment, growth and financial stability," Merkel told reporters.

(Reporting by Noah Barkin and Stephen Brown)