BERLIN: The record influx of refugees into Germany is the biggest challenge the country has faced since reunification 25 years ago, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday.
The number of asylum-seekers in Germany is expected to hit 800,00 2015, as people from Africa and the Middle East flow into Europe fleeing poverty and war. Gabriel criticised the passiveness of other European nations in the refugee crisis.
He told public broadcaster ARD that the refugee issue “is a collective duty, the biggest challenge since reunification” in 1990, which forces Germany to “do much more” and “radically change its policies.”
Germany is struggling to accommodate a wave of asylum-seekers from war zones such as Syria but also migrants from countries that are not at war like Albania and Kosovo. The surge in asylum demands this year, a 4-fold increase over 2014, has left German authorities scrambling to house them, with schools and tents used as temporary shelter.
Refugees biggest challenge: Germany deputy
Updated 23 August 2015