MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper, the first refugees are expected to be welcomed on Friday evening at a converted former marketplace, located in a village near Hamburg, where the first reception center for a total of 490 people was established. Another 250 places for refugees have been created on an adjacent parking lot.
Germany is among the EU countries dealing with a massive refugee crisis, as hundreds of thousands of people flee war-torn regions in the Middle East and North Africa, seeking refuge in the European Union.
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel claimed earlier in the month that up to one million asylum applications were expected to be lodged in the country by the end of 2015, but the capacity of the country to host refugees has already reached its limits.
