Germany can take 500,000 refugees annually for years, Vice Chancellor says

Germany's vice chancellor said his country could take in 500,000 refugees annually for the next several years, one day after Hungary's prime minister called on Berlin to close its doors to thousands from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia who have poured into Eastern Europe in an effort to reach more prosperous nations.
Talk911 Nigeria reported that Sigmar Gabriel also repeated demands that other European countries accept quotas designed to ensure that Germany does not have to take in the lion's share of refugees. Germany, which has the largest economy in Europe, is expecting to take in 800,000 refugees in 2015, more than four times last year's total. An estimated 20,000 refugees entered Germany via Hungary by train, bus, and on foot this past weekend alone.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned in an interview with Austrian television late Monday that millions of refugees would descend upon the continent if what he called Germany's "open door" policy continued. He also claimed that many who had passed through his country via the so-called "Balkan Corridor" were not in dire straits, but rather were attracted by Germany's generous benefit programs. For that reason, Orban warned, the refugee surge risked placing an intolerable financial burden on members of the 28-nation E.U.
"As long as Europe cannot protect its external borders it makes no sense to discuss the fate of those flowing in," Orban said.
"I am happy that Germany has become a country that many people outside of Germany now associate with hope," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a Berlin news conference Monday. "What isn't acceptable in my view is that some people are saying this has nothing to do with them. This won't work in the long run. There will be consequences although we don't want that."
Despite Merkel's steadfast support for letting in refugees, the episode has exposed tensions not only within the E.U., but within Merkel's own coalition government.