Sea-Eye protest in front of the Bundestag: Decision on funding for civil sea rescue imminent

Sea-Eye and WeAct submit petition with 93.724 signatures – German government remains silent, Green Party pledges support

Ahead of the budget committee’s reconciliation meeting, the civil sea rescue organization Sea-Eye, together with Campact, protests against the impending end of state funding for civil sea rescue. The cut of 2 million euros per year has been met with widespread protest from civil society and politicians: this morning, Sea-Eye handed over a WeAct petition with around 94,000 signatures to Britta Haßelmann and Ricarda Lang (Alliance 90/The Greens) in front of the Reichstag building. Chancellor Merz (CDU), Foreign Minister Wadephul (CDU), and Finance Minister Klingbeil (SPD), the recipients of the petition, have so far failed to respond. 

“With our protest today, we want to make it very clear that the federal government has lost its moral compass,” says Kai Echelmeyer, board member of Sea-Eye e.V. “Instead of protecting human rights and taking responsibility, it is cutting lifesaving measures from the budget. This is not only a fatal political signal, but also a declaration of humanitarian bankruptcy.”

Since the plans for cuts became known at the end of June, there has been massive resistance to the proposed end of funding. Sea-Eye and its supporters mobilized tens of thousands of people within a very short time – among other things, over 7,000 personal emails were sent to members of the Bundestag. The main target was the SPD, which had declared its support for the funding of civil sea rescue at its last party conference. Twelve SPD members of parliament then appealed to Foreign Minister Wadephul in an open letter to reconsider the cut in Budget Section 05. Without federal funding, missions could be canceled – resulting in more deaths in the Mediterranean.

“The amount that has been earmarked [for civil sea rescue] so far is so small that this is not a matter of budget consolidation and austerity measures, which would be bad enough, but rather of intimidating civil society and enforcing a fundamentally anti-immigration policy […]. We will not go along with this course,” Ricarda Lang (Alliance 90/The Greens) makes clear.

Britta Haßelmann (Alliance 90/The Greens) emphasizes: “Civil sea rescue must be financed. It is a really small contribution in this large federal budget. […] That is why we are entering the budget planning process with a motion initiative from Alliance 90/The Greens to continue financing civil sea rescue. It should actually be the responsibility and duty of the state to rescue people from distress at sea.” 

For the first time, the federal government supported the humanitarian work of civil sea rescue organizations with 2 million euros annually starting in 2022. This financial support has enabled organizations such as Sea-Eye to carry out additional missions and, literally, save lives. The cancellation of these funds will have a direct impact on rescue operations and the chances of survival for people in distress at sea. The budget committee’s decision is expected during the reconciliation meeting.