Berlin – June 26, 2025 — The German government plans to end all financial support for non-governmental organizations engaged in rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, sparking sharp criticism from aid groups and opposition lawmakers.
The decision, revealed in the draft budget presented by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, marks a significant policy shift. According to the Foreign Ministry, no funds have been allocated for migrant rescue organizations in the new budget proposal.
Germany had previously been providing around €2 million annually to humanitarian groups conducting maritime rescues.
In the first half of 2025 alone, the government disbursed nearly €900,000 to organizations including Sea-Eye, SOS Humanity, and the Sant’Egidio Community. The sudden halt to funding has raised concerns among these groups about their ability to continue life-saving operations.
“We’re filling a gap in the Mediterranean that should have been closed by European states — including Germany,” said Gorden Isler, chairman of Sea-Eye. “Without this funding, we may not be able to continue our missions. People will drown as a result.”
The Mediterranean Sea remains one of the most perilous migration routes in the world. According to the Missing Migrants Project, more than 32,000 people have gone missing while attempting to cross to Europe since 2014.
Despite rescue operations, fatalities continue to rise amid increasingly restrictive migration policies across southern Europe.
Italy, under its current far-right government, has imposed severe restrictions on rescue missions. Laws passed in recent years have limited the ability of NGOs to operate in Italian waters, forcing ships to return to port after single rescues and imposing heavy fines for violations.
The crackdown has left gaps in coverage just as migration flows have increased, largely due to instability and conflict in regions across Africa and the Middle East.
German opposition figures have condemned the government’s decision. Jamila Schäfer, a Green Party lawmaker, warned that the move would not curb migration but would instead make journeys more deadly.
“We pay for fire services to save lives on land. We should also not let people drown in the sea,” Schäfer told the German Press Agency (DPA). “Cutting support to rescue operations is not a migration policy—it’s a humanitarian failure.”
The government has yet to officially comment on the criticisms or outline whether alternative humanitarian support will be offered.
However, the shift comes amid growing domestic pressure from center-right factions and some parts of the public to reduce spending and adopt stricter immigration controls.
The development adds to growing tensions within Germany’s coalition government, which includes the Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats.
While the Greens have pushed for a more open humanitarian stance on migration, fiscal conservatives have increasingly pushed back.
As Europe braces for another summer of high migration numbers, aid groups say the withdrawal of German support will be felt immediately on the front lines.
With fewer ships patrolling international waters and increasing hostility from frontline states like Italy, the prospect of migrant deaths is once again rising.
Without immediate replacement funding or renewed EU cooperation, humanitarian groups fear a deadly summer lies ahead.