Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed to limit the number of refugees coming to Germany in 200.000 annually, but refused to endorse a hard cap requested by her party’s Bavarian allies. The deal gives a green light to start coalition talks between the ruling CDU/CSU and the most probable partners, the Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens. Under the agreement finalised Sunday night, Germany would seek to limit the number of new arrivals to 200.000, including individual refugees and family members following them. Skilled workers seeking employment in Germany would not be included in the calculation.