Germany's Merkel says refugees should be distributed fairly across EU

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday refugees should be distributed across the European Union according to member states' ability to receive them, as part of a strategy to cope with Europe's unprecedented migration crisis.

"For those refugees who are being persecuted or have fled war, there should be a fair distribution in Europe based on the economic strength, productivity and the size of each country," Merkel said at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.