On the tenth anniversary of civilian sea rescues in the central Mediterranean, the organization Sea-Eye is urging the European Union to take responsibility and create a comprehensive state-run sea rescue system. This call to action comes as the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean continues, with thousands of lives lost over the past decade.
Civilian sea rescue efforts began on August 25, 2014, when the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) became the first civil sea rescue organization to respond to the frequent shipwrecks and deaths in the Mediterranean. However, that same year, the official Italian maritime operation ‘Mare Nostrum’ ended, leaving no state-organized sea rescue efforts in the region. Instead, the European Union launched Operation Triton, led by the border agency Frontex, which prioritized border security over rescuing people in need.
Despite the efforts of several private organizations to save lives over the past ten years, the humanitarian situation in the Mediterranean remains unresolved. Gorden Isler, chair of Sea-Eye e. V., highlighted the ongoing challenges: “Over the past ten years, civilian sea rescue organizations have taken over the responsibility generally held by EU member states. Much has changed politically in that time, but the humanitarian situation in the Mediterranean remains dire.”
Isler criticized the EU’s current approach, stating, “Instead of relying on state-organized sea rescues, Europe continues its isolation policy. Laws against civilian sea rescue organizations have been created in Italy, and, worst of all, thousands of people are still dying every year in search of asylum and protection.” He called for the European Union to stop criminalizing the work of civilian rescue organizations and to establish a European state sea rescue organization with a clear mission to save as many lives as possible.
Sea-Eye, which was established in 2015 and began its first rescue missions the following year, has been at the forefront of these efforts. Despite the dedication of Sea-Eye and other civilian organizations, the Mediterranean remains the most dangerous escape route for migrants. According to the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project, over 30,000 people have disappeared or died in the Mediterranean since 2014. The actual number of unreported cases is believed to be much higher.