Berlin, 19 June 2025. On the tenth anniversary of civil search and rescue efforts in the Central Mediterranean, four major German NGOs, SOS Humanity, United4Rescue, Sea-Watch, and Sea-Eye, took stock of a decade of lifesaving operations and called for an end to the political obstruction of rescue missions. 

Since 2015, non-governmental rescue ships have provided humanitarian emergency assistance in the Central Mediterranean. By April 2025, the “civil fleet”, consisting of 15 rescue vessels, 7 sailing ships, and 4 reconnaissance airplanes, had been involved in rescuing 175,595 people—despite mounting political and bureaucratic barriers. European governments and the EU prioritise deterrence and border control over protection and compliance with international law. For instance, Italy’s “Piantedosi Decree”, introduced in January 2023, has led to the administrative detention of rescue vessels on 28 occasions, resulting in 680 days of blocked operations. 

“For ten years, we as civil society have refused to accept that refugees crossing the Central Mediterranean are left to die for the sake of sealing off Europe,” said Mirka Schäfer, political spokesperson for SOS Humanity. “The EU and its member states have failed to fulfill their duty to provide for a state-coordinated search and rescue programme on this deadly migration route. Since 2015, we non-governmental organisations have been trying to fill the rescue gap. However, the conditions for our work are becoming increasingly difficult, and the obstruction of our rescue fleet by government measures is escalating.”

Of the 21 NGOs presently involved in lifesaving activities in the Central Mediterranean, 10 come from Germany. Here, public support for non-governmental search and rescue remains strong. Tens of thousands of people continue to donate, volunteer, and stand in solidarity. United4Rescue, a German alliance of nearly 1,000 organisations, exemplifies the broad backing from civil society. Equally vital are grassroots initiatives like Refugees in Libya, which advocates for refugee rights and document abuses, and Alarm Phone, which has provided a distress hotline for people in danger at sea for over a decade. These groups reflect a simple truth: civil society steps in when states fail—though it cannot substitute for structural, political solutions.

Proposal of rescue concept and demands to governments

Shortly ahead of World Refugee Day on 20 June, the organisations presented Mare Solidale, a concrete proposal for a European rescue programme, as a roadmap for a human rights-based approach. The concept outlines legal principles, mechanisms for coordinated EU-led search and rescue, and a realistic financial framework. Their message is unequivocal: the EU could end the ongoing deaths at sea if the political will existed. 

SOS Humanity, United4Rescue, Sea-Watch, and Sea-Eye call on the German government, the EU, and its member states to firmly recognise search and rescue at Europe’s Mediterranean borders as both a legal and a humanitarian obligation. They demand a fully funded, European state-led rescue programme and an end to cooperation with authoritarian regimes such as Tunisia and Libya on border enforcement. Given systematic violence, the absence of asylum protection, and ongoing political repression, Tunisia must not be classified as a safe country of origin or a safe third country.