Merkel Boosts Refugee Funding as Europe Prepares Quota Proposals

Merkel said on Monday that Germany will add 3 billion euros to the 2016 federal budget and provide another 3 billion euros to states and municipalities to tackle Europe‘s biggest refugee crisis since World War II. The chancellor said „it‘s not entirely implausible“ that her country will need an extra 10 billion euros in total next year to handle the influx.

The added funding comes as the region‘s leaders bicker over how best to respond to the growing influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty, with Germany and Austria pushing for country- by-country quotas across the 28-member European Union. Hungary and others in eastern Europe oppose such measures and have pursued a more hard-line approach to deter refugees.