Coalition gives her two weeks to find European deal
ADVERTISEMENTAngela Merkel has said she will seek a new deal on immigration in Europe at this month's Brussels summit - after being given two weeks by her coalition partners to find a multi-lateral solution
"We are convinced in the CDU we have to take into account German and European interests," Merkel told a press conference. "It's in the German interest to achieve the orderly conduct of migration together with our European partners. We think, as a country in the heart of Europe, blocking our borders without achieving an agreement could lead to a negative domino effect."
Merkel's interior minister Horst Seehofer is also the chairman of her Bavarian coalition partner party the CSU, and with regional elections coming up in October, he's facing grass roots pressure to push through a tougher line on immigration.
But he denies accusations that he's been disloyal by bringing the mattter to a head just before the EU summit.
"It has been reduced by the vast majority to the question my God, can't you give it even 14 days? " he told a press conference. "But it's not about 14 days, it's about fundamental dissent. We want a solution, if one doesn't come through Europe. "
Around a million migrants have entered Germany in th last three years. Critics say the policy has fuelled the rise of the far right AFD.