MOSCOW (Sputnik) — German authorities said last week that the country’s capacity to accommodate refugees, collecting in Central Balkans, had been exceeded as they reiterated the need for other EU member states to pull their weight.
Tighter controls were introduced on the German border with Austria on Sunday to hold off the surging influx of migrants and refugees. Merkel argued that the restrictions were put in place to speed up the registration of incoming refugees, as well as due to security concerns.
"We took a decision a week past Friday on the German side, which was an emergency decision for humanitarian reasons… We think it was the right decision to take and it helped a lot of people," she said in Berlin after an emergency meeting with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann.
Germany expects up to one million asylum claims to be lodged in the country by the end of 2015, according to Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.
