Her views are at odds with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who was quoted in a German newspaper yesterday as saying European countries are stretched to their limits in the refugee crisis and can not take in any more arrivals.
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“Europe must say that it can not accommodate so many migrants, it isn’t possible”, Mr. Valls said.
“If we don’t do that, then the people will say: Enough of Europe”, he said.
He said Europe must find a solution that includes countries neighboring Syria also taking migrants.
“Otherwise, Europe’s ability to effectively control its borders is called into question”, he added.
Prior to the attacks, which the extremist Islamic State (IS) group has claimed credit for, Valls had lobbied for an EU-wide strategy for dealing with migration and refugees.
Mrs Merkel has previously said there was no upper limit to the right to seek asylum in Germany, although local media reports suggested her position is softening in the face of mounting internal criticism.
While Merkel made no specific reference of a cap in her speech to the Bundestag on Wednesday, many of her remarks dealt with other ways that would reduce the number of refugees.
At the same time, the Chancellor promised to help France to combat terror. “Truly needy cases – from Syria, from Iraq – will be jointly sought out”.
“The strongest response to terrorists is to carry on living our lives and our values as we have until now – self-confident and free, considerate and engaged”, she said to loud applause.
“We want to fight together against terrorism”.
Police figures released in Germany on Monday revealed that the federal state already took in 180,000 refugees in November. Germany so far has taken in the bulk of some one million people expected to arrive this year.
Mr Valls stated that France will not accept more than 30,000 asylum seekers over the next two years.
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But a Forsa poll on Wednesday put her conservative bloc up three points at 39 percent due to the effect of the Paris attacks, which Forsa chief Manfred Guellner said drives voters back to the incumbent party.
