BERLIN (AP) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the potential benefits resulting from the influx of migrants and refugees far outweighs any dangers.
Merkel told German lawmakers Thursday that “the opportunities are much bigger than the risks, we just have to recognize and use them.”
She spoke hours after European Union leaders in Brussels agreed a series of measures to tackle the migrant crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of people stream into the continent from Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Merkel said the bloc still needs to agree a “permanent system for a fair distribution of refugees across member states.”
Seeking to reassure state governors, whom she is meeting with later in the day, Merkel said Germany can meet the challenges.