Reuters, Berlin :German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe needed to protect its external frontiers as it faces the greatest influx off refugees since World War Two – a crisis that she said was “testing Europe’s mettle”.Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe this year from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, many fleeing war or poverty.Speaking in a weekly video podcast released on Saturday, Merkel said Europe needed to contribute to dealing with this global challenge.”And for Europe, this means we of course need to, above all, protect our external borders across Europe – and protect them together – so that immigration to Europe is orderly,” she said.”But it also means we must take on more responsibility for countries where the causes for people to flee are, or where there are a lot of refugees, such as in Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey,” Merkel added.Many of those on the move are heading to Germany, which is Europe’s largest economy and has relatively liberal asylum laws and a generous system of benefits.A poll on Thursday showed Merkel’s popularity slump to its lowest level in nearly four years, reflecting growing concern about the flood of migrants.Meanwhile, French authorities on Friday found 31 migrants crammed into a refrigerated truck, alive but freezing, police said.”At around 7:30am, 31 people were found inside a refrigerated heavy goods vehicle in a layby on the A16,” police said. The discovery was made near Dunkirk on France’s northern coast.A three-year-old child was among the group. All but one of them were described as “safe and sound” despite the fact the temperature inside was “less than a degree” (under 34 degrees Fahrenheit), police said. It was not immediately clear how long they had been inside the truck.Most of the group said they were Syrian nationals but one was Vietnamese, police added.The driver, a Spanish national, was apparently unaware of their presence, telling police he had pulled over when he heard “noise coming from his trailer”.
