Overview

• The foreign ministry has confirmed that no further grants will go to NGOs like Sea-Eye, SOS Humanity, SOS Méditerranée, RESQSHIP and Sant’Egidio after €900,000 was paid in the first quarter and €2 million in 2024.
• Wadephul argues that maritime rescues can unintentionally enable smuggling networks and says funds should be redirected to diplomatic and development efforts at migrants’ points of origin.
• Critics including Green Party leader Britta Haßelmann, Sea-Eye chair Gorden Isler and SOS Humanity director Till Rummenhohl warn the cut will worsen the humanitarian crisis and lead to more deaths at sea.
• Civilian rescue operations have saved over 175,000 people from the Mediterranean since 2015 but now face operational gaps as they rely almost entirely on private donations.
• The policy change reflects a broader European debate on migration strategy, emphasizing upstream interventions in regions like Sudan and South Sudan rather than direct maritime rescue.