The Chancellor came under fire for her decision in 2015 to open Germany's borders to one million migrants at the height of the refugee crisis gripping Europe.
And now the 63-year-old has lashed out at critics, admitting she would react “the same way again” if a similar crisis erupted.
The open-door policy weakened her support and saw voters turn to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party in the September elections.Speaking at her annual party conference, Mrs Merkel said: “Misguided tolerance is as dangerous to our cohesion as populist incitement against anything foreign.
“Integration requires well defined underlying values ad clear and noticeable consequences for those who refuse integration.”
