Italy’s Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto, raised concerns on Sunday about a German plan to finance charities assisting migrants in the Mediterranean. This move comes as Italy is striving to implement stricter measures to control the influx of sea arrivals.
Reports in the Italian media highlighted that the German Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday that Berlin was executing a parliamentary financial support program for both civilian sea rescue operations and land-based projects. A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry stated that they had received several funding applications, with reviews already completed for two cases. The funding provided ranged from 400,000 to 800,000 euros ($426,000 to $852,160) for each project.
Minister Crosetto, speaking to La Stampa, expressed Italy’s deep concern about this German initiative. He stated that Rome viewed the German move as “very serious” and stressed that the Italian government’s focus was on combating human smugglers, whom they regarded as “international criminals.” Crosetto is a senior member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party.
In response, Germany’s Foreign Ministry defended its actions, emphasizing that rescuing people at sea is a “legal, humanitarian, and moral duty.”
According to the latest data from the Italian Interior Ministry, over 132,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by boat so far this year, compared to around 69,000 during the same period in 2022.
On a related note, the charity SOS Humanity announced on Saturday that it would receive approximately 790,000 euros in funding from the German government.
Italy, known for its strict stance on illegal immigration, recently announced plans to increase the number of detention centers to hold migrants before potential repatriation and to extend the duration of their detention. Additionally, the government introduced a policy requiring migrants to pay to avoid detention while their requests for protection are being processed, a move that has garnered criticism from human rights groups.
