Germany plans to cut all funding for Mediterranean migrant rescue ships

The German government reportedly plans to cut all funding for groups that rescue migrants in distress while crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the new budget plans from Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil do not allocate any funds for migrant rescue groups.

In recent years, the German government has provided these teams with approximately €2 million (about $2.3 million) annually. In the first half of 2025, around €900,000 in aid was provided to groups such as Sea-Eye, SOS Humanity, and Sant’Egidio.

Sea-Eye responded to the news with sharp criticism of the new German government.

“We are filling a gap in the Mediterranean that European countries, including Germany, should be closing,” said Gorden Isler, the group’s chairman, adding that without funding, Sea-Eye might be forced to cease its operations.

Jamila Schäfer, a member of parliament for the opposition Green Party, also criticized the decision, stating that cutting the funds will not reduce migration but will only make the routes more deadly.

In a statement to the German news agency dpa, Schäfer said, “We pay the fire department to save lives on land. We should not let people drown at sea either.”

The Mediterranean remains one of the world’s deadliest migration routes, despite patrols by sea rescue organizations.

According to the Missing Migrants Project, more than 32,000 people have gone missing while trying to reach Europe since 2014.

Rescue operations have become more challenging in recent years as the number of people embarking on dangerous routes continues to rise, while the Meloni government in Italy has enacted a law that severely restricts rescue operations.