What is more important, she said, is to fight the factors that force people to flee their homes in the countries of origin of refugees.

"I am in favour of showing Germany’s friendly face. That is the welcome I would like to see extended," declared the Chancellor in the ZDF programme "Was nun, Frau Merkel?" (What now, Mrs Merkel?). Everyone coming to Germany must have had a reason to flee their home country, and their human dignity must be respected, she added.

The refugee crisis is a "massive task, one of the greatest challenges in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany," stressed Angela Merkel. The Federal Republic of Germany must accept this challenge, and "I would like to see Germany taking up the challenge effectively."

No ceiling on refugee numbers

A great deal has already been done over the last few weeks with legislative packages and other decisions. Now it is a question of "ordering and steering" the influx, said the Chancellor.

Angela Merkel stressed that she will "absolutely not" be deviating from her course. At the same time she rejected a ceiling on the number of refugees Germany will accept. She made it quite clear that she could not "unilaterally" set ceilings. "What we cannot do in Germany is to decide unilaterally who can still come to us and who can’t."

What is important is to fight the factors in the countries of origin that are forcing people to flee their homes. And it is important to better protect the external borders of the European Union. In talks with the Turkish government too "we are now much further than we were only four weeks ago," she stressed.

Angela Merkel calls for fair burden-sharing

The Chancellor also, however, made it plain that Germany cannot resolve the refugee crisis alone. It has been a great disappointment to her in the field of refugee policy, that it has proved so difficult to share burdens fairly within the European Union.