PARIS (AFP) - France and Germany have agreed to jointly push for a full-time chief to oversee economic policy in the euro zone, French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday.

"We agree that there be more euro zone summits with a full-time president of the Eurogroup", which oversees policy in the currency bloc, Mr Hollande said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Eurogroup, currently headed by Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, is at present run by one of the 17-nation euro zone's finance ministers. It sees the zone's finance ministers meeting informally every month to set economic policy for the bloc.

The proposed new president "could be mandated by euro zone ministers to support action for jobs, research and industry," Mr Hollande added.