Some German conservatives want fewer Balkan citizens to apply for asylum

By Caroline Copley BERLIN (Reuters) - Conservative German lawmakers on Sunday called for more measures to deter Balkan citizens from seeking asylum in Germany, as Europe's biggest economy grapples with a record number of refugees. Most are fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, but of the 180,000 refugees who arrived in Germany in the first half of this year, 70,000 came from the Balkans in southeast Europe. The number of asylum applications in Germany is expected to more than do