EU policies partly to blame for 3,000 deaths in Mediterranean last year, say rights groups

Rescue organisations warn decree requiring their boats to return directly to a given port – often far away – prevents them from helping others in distress

Several groups running rescue missions in the Mediterranean are calling for a change in the EU’s policies, which they say are partly to blame for the drownings of more than 3,000 people last year.

A 2023 decree has severely reduced the response capacity of the NGO-run civil fleet’s search-and-rescue missions, routinely putting the lives of people crossing the Mediterranean at risk.