On Willkommenskultur

The Economist looks into how Germany is dealing with an influx of asylum-seekers locally and regionally —

But Germany’s biggest political push will be to reform the EU’s rules so that all member states share refugees based on a binding quota system. This vision is aligned with the plan that Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, proposed on September 9th (see article). Domestically, Germany already has a working prototype: it allocates refugees among the 16 federal states according to population and economic strength. Thus mighty North-Rhine Westphalia takes the most and tiny Bremen the fewest. In this campaign, Germany has the support of Sweden, Austria and now France, as well as Italy and Greece, where most of the refugees first come ashore. But it faces opposition from other countries, notably in the east.

See also the related Economist article noting agency,

In one respect, though, today’s refugees and migrants truly are different from those of earlier eras. Many have some higher education, material resources and networks of family or friends already in Europe with whom they can keep in touch through phone and Facebook. Some are working out their plans as they go, others have coherent strategies. In a word, they have agency.