The North Korean town of Sinuiju is seen behind the Friendship Bridge (L) ? which connects Sinuiju and the Chinese border city of Dandong ? and the Broken Bridge (R), in Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province. September 4, 2017. AFP/Greg Baker

BERLIN: Germany, Italy, and France on Sunday urged tougher EU sanctions against North Korea after Pyongyang "reached a new dimension of provocation" with its latest nuclear test.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed during a phone call "that North Korea has trampled on international law and that the international community must, therefore, react with determination against this new escalation", the chancellery said in a statement.

Both leaders "are calling for tougher EU sanctions against North Korea", Berlin added.

Separately, Macron also spoke on the phone with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who shared the German-French position "on the necessity of a strong international reaction".

These include action by "the Security Council and the European Union, which should adopt new sanctions" against Pyongyang, the French presidency said.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel also said Pyongyang's latest test "means that we have to find a level-headed but clear answer".

"We will discuss this reaction with our partners in the EU. I am sure that the UN Security Council will also take necessary measures in a decisive manner," he said.

The EU has steadily ramped up its sanctions against Kim Jong-un's North Korea, particularly in the last few months.

Most recently, in August, the bloc expanded its North Korea sanctions blacklist after Pyongyang tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US mainland.

EU sanctions against North Korea date back to 2006 and are part of international efforts to halt Pyongyang´s nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.