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Germany and partners consider 'transit zones' for refugees

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition partners have agreed some areas on how to deal with the refugee crisis but need more talks on other points following a meeting, a government spokesman said.

An extra 100,000 migrants and refugees will be taken to welcome centres to ease the crisis, after a deal agreed by European and Balkan state leaders during an emergency summit.

According to the UNHCR, more than 643,000 refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe this year, with at least 3,135 known to have died en route.

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EU to open 100,000 new places at refugee welcome centres

An extra 100,000 migrants and refugees will be taken in to welcome centres in a bit to ease the crisis, after a deal agreed by European and Balkan state leaders during an emergency summit.

Jean-Claude Juncker said countries had to stop Credit: Reuters

The deal will see Greece open reception centres with enough room for 30,000 migrants by the end of the year, while the United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, will provide 20,000.

A further 50,000 spaces will be added in reception centres in Balkan countries, through which thousands of migrants have travelled in a bid to reach countries in northern Europe including Germany and Scandanavia.

An extra 400 police officers will also be dispatched to Slovenia within a week to help the country cope with the huge number of migrants crossing its borders.

Speaking after the summit, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said countries had to stop "waving [migrants] through".

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Germany and partners consider 'transit zones' for refugees

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