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Germany to Maintain Deficit-Free Budget Despite Refugee Influx - Merkel

© REUTERS / Fabrizio BenschGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel reacts as she addresses a news conference after a meeting with state premiers at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, January 28, 2016
German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacts as she addresses a news conference after a meeting with state premiers at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, January 28, 2016 - Sputnik International
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Current migration crisis in Europe will not weaken German economy. Germany will not give up a balanced and deficit-free budget.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Germany will not give up a balanced and deficit-free budget despite being affected by the ongoing migration crisis in Europe, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview published Sunday.

According to the chancellor, an opinion that the costs of hosting migrants would make the German government run into debt is "completely unfounded."

"Having a budget without new debts is reasonable for a country with an aging population," Merkel told the Bild am Sonntag magazine.

Berlin has managed to achieve the balanced budget within several years by gradually limiting social benefits and increasing taxes.

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Germany has become a key destination for hundreds of thousands of refugees and immigrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa since the start of 2015. The country’s interior ministry estimates that Germany received around 1.1 million migrants last year alone.

Germany is rather loyal and tolerant to the refugee arrivals. According to the budget review, the German government expects to spend 16.5 billion euros ($18.1 billion) on refugee-related programs in 2016.

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