Germany's ruling coalition leaders agree on integration measures

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Deputy Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel announced on Thursday the results of the coalition summit where leaders of German ruling coalition agreed on an integration act and an anti-terrorism package.

Merkel called the integration act an "historic step."

"The core is to try to integrate as many people as possible into the labor market, when they come to us," said Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

"We must not only register but also integrate refugees," she said, adding that the law also contains requirements for anyone arriving in Germany.

"For the first time in the history of Europe, Germany gets its own integration act," said Gabriel, head of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), at the chancellery.

This was a "first step towards a modern immigration law," he noted, adding that integration was challenging, but "whoever wants to belong to us, will now have better opportunities to integrate."

Bavarian leader Horst Seehofer and leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) said the proposed law complements the existing integration laws of the federal states.

After months of dispute over the refugee crisis, Germany's ruling coalition agreed on several measures for the integration and the fight against terrorism overnight on Wednesday at the coalition summit.

The coalition plans to integrate people who have come to Germany into society and the labor market, but demands individual efforts at the same time.

Among other things, 100,000 additional job opportunities such as "one euro jobs" should be created. In the action plan to combat terrorism, the proposed was to give the German security forces more money, personnel and authority. Enditem