The German government is continuing to send millions of euros to NGOs that pick up migrants in the Mediterranean and bring them to Europe—despite growing evidence that these operations fuel illegal migration and rising criticism from frontline EU states.
In 2023, the leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, described so-called “civil sea rescue operations in the Mediterranean” as part of the “concept of human trafficking networks.” From the opposition benches, his party strongly criticized the Social Democratic government for allocating public funds to organizations that, in their view, encouraged illegal immigration. Two years later, the German government continues with the same funding policy.
A recent parliamentary response to a query by Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) MP Stephan Brandner confirms that in 2024, Berlin sent nearly two million euros to NGOs operating in the Mediterranean. The association SOS Humanity received €500,000, and Sant’Egidio received a similar amount. Other organizations, such as SOS Méditerranée, Sea-Eye, and Resqship, also received taxpayers’ money.
The subsidy policy remains virtually unchanged from the previous legislature, despite CDU leaders now being in government. This exposes the gap between their tough migration rhetoric and actual decisions. Nine organizations registered in Germany took part in rescue operations in 2024. The government says that ships funded by these entities rescued 3,613 people that year. However, it admits it lacks data on how many subsequently applied for asylum in Germany. Moreover, according to standard practice, these NGOs do not disembark the rescued individuals at the nearest safe ports in North Africa but instead bring them directly to European shores.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has been one of the most vocal critics of this policy. In a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz in September 2023, she accused the German government of acting without coordination and increasing migration pressure on Italy. The prime minister argued that the activities of these NGOs create a “pull factor” and exacerbate a crisis that disproportionately affects frontline countries.
Meloni stressed that if Germany wishes to fund such operations, it should do so within its borders. She also cited the EU-Turkey migration deal as an example of a solution, in contrast to the current approach of subsidising NGO sea routes into Europe.
Despite the criticism, the German government maintains that sea rescue is Europe’s “legal, humanitarian, and moral duty.” That stance has caused growing friction within the EU—and reveals how conservative parties like the CDU often abandon their promises once in office.
The continued funding of these organizations calls into question the coherence of the CDU–EPP bloc, which, from Brussels and Berlin, upholds a narrative of migration control while supporting practices that, according to Frontex and several Southern European governments, fuel illegal immigration.