Euro zone has not yet fully overcome debt crisis, says Merkel

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the return of growth and a fall in unemployment levels in the euro zone showed much progress had been made in the bloc, but that the debt crisis had not been completely overcome.

"We have shown what can be achieved with decisive action (in member states) and European solidarity, but we have not overcome the crisis on a sustainable basis for the long term," Merkel told the Bundestag lower house before an EU summit in Brussels.

(Reporting by Stephen Brown, Michelle Martin; Writing by Madeline Chambers)