Germany’s government has recently taken the step of withdrawing funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in rescuing migrants trapped in dangerous sea conditions. This decision comes on the heels of a dramatic political realignment. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU conservative bloc take the last election on their pledge to stop irregular migration.
Under the former, left-leaning administration, Germany spent about 2 million euros ($2.34 million) annually. This funding has tremendously contributed to NGOs’ abilities to run their life-saving sea rescue operations. Sea-Eye was one of the main recipients of this funding. It only received 10% of its overall revenue, which is around 3.2 million euros, from the federal German government. Since 2015, the advocacy group says that lifesaving rescue organizations have saved nearly 175,000 lives, and they’ve been on the front lines of that life-saving work.
In a strong statement delivered at a recent Leipzig news conference, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul argued. He insisted that ending funding for these maneuvers is key to preventing hazardous migrant crossings. The Italian government counters that offering such help would risk creating perverse incentives for people to take the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean.
Sadly, this clearly politically motivated ruling has been criticized by a wide range of political interest groups. The Greens, who ran the foreign office when the subsidies were started, condemned the move. Britta Hasselmann, joint floor leader of the Greens, declared,
“This will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and deepen human suffering.”
As Germany grapples with rising migration-related fears, many citizens attribute the growing influence of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to these concerns. Yet ironically, despite these pressures, in aggregate Germany has actually seen the numbers of migrants arriving drop for several consecutive years.
Gorden Isler, chairperson of Sea-Eye was furious about the funding cuts. He made clear just how dangerous these cuts would be to life-saving rescue missions. He asserted,
“The (government) support made possible extra missions and very concretely saved lives. We might now have to stay in harbor despite emergencies.”
For decades, individuals fleeing war and poverty have undertaken perilous crossings in hopes of reaching Europe’s southern borders, including Germany. Thousands are believed to die each year on these dangerous crossings as Europe tightens its borders and becomes more hostile towards migrants.
Home to one of the world’s largest and most acute humanitarian crises, war-torn Sudan is undergoing widespread ethnic violence. Isler stressed the immediate, lifesaving need for rescue efforts in this area. He stressed that Sea-Eye had to stay operational there where need is the highest.
