People fleeing war, environmental destruction, exploitation, and persecution on the African and Asian continents are forced to undertake the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe. Forced, because there are hardly any safe routes left: family reunification programs are being suspended, humanitarian admission programs abolished. The consequences of European exploitation abroad are ignored. As a result, many people are forced to flee through countries such as Libya and Tunisia, where they are enslaved or murdered by militias and state actors, before having to risk the perilous sea crossing.

Although two-thirds of displaced people seek refuge in neighboring countries, the Central Mediterranean has become one of the deadliest migration routes in the world. More than 34,000 people have died since 2014 due to the lack of coordinated EU search and rescue operations. In this year alone, more than 1,200 people have lost their lives while attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

Civil society organizations such as Sea-Watch are currently trying to fill the rescue gap that European states continue to widen through deliberate inaction. Yet search and rescue at sea is a state responsibility. The European Union must act to put an end to the deaths in the Mediterranean.

In 2026, we witnessed the deadliest start to a year in the Mediterranean in over a decade. Although the EU has all the facts, evidence, and policy proposals at its disposal, and despite European governments having watched more than 34,000 people drown in the Mediterranean, no European search and rescue program has been established. The German government is also actively contributing to the deaths at Europe’s borders. In 2025, it even decided that the German Armed Forces could train the so-called Libyan Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, the Italian government continues to obstruct rescue ships. Since the beginning of 2023, civilian rescue vessels have been detained in port more than 40 times. As a result, the civilian rescue fleet has lost over 900 operational days. Aurora herself has been detained five times, losing a total of 113 days at sea.

But when states violate international law, we come back stronger. Aurora 2 steps in for her twin sister whenever she is put in chains. Together they are strong, together they are unstoppable.

Of course. We have developed an entire search and rescue programme and submitted it to both the European Commission and the German government: Mare Solidale. You can find the concept here. It demonstrates that the EU could decide today to implement a human rights-compliant rescue programme, drawing on the lessons learned from the former Mare Nostrum operation. It could be put into practice tomorrow — it is simply a matter of political will.

To the far-right Italian government: end the unlawful detention and blocking of civilian rescue vessels. Create safe routes for people seeking protection to reach Italy. Release all unlawfully detained refugees and migrants. Repeal the Piantedosi Decree. And allow us to disembark rescued people as quickly as possible.

More broadly, we call for safe pathways to Europe and freedom of movement for all. No one should be forced to undertake a dangerous sea crossing in the first place.

Borders exist to prevent all people from being free and equal. They determine who enjoys rights and privileges — and who does not. Some people can fly halfway around the world for leisure, while others die trying to cross borders in search of safety for themselves and their loved ones.

Unjust? Absolutely. Solvable? Certainly. Because borders are not a natural phenomenon. Why is it considered “normal” that thousands of people die at Europe’s borders while states spend enormous amounts of money enforcing them — yet talking about opening borders for everyone is dismissed as absurd?

Human beings have always moved. We have learned new languages, settled in new places, fallen in love, and stayed. Migration is the foundation of every society. No call for more borders will ever change that. It will only produce more violence — because the logic of borders knows no limits. The answer to the challenges of our time must be decent living conditions, safety, and equal rights for all.

A world with open borders may sound like a utopia — but what right did not begin as a utopia? As long as some people rule over others, the rest of us must fight for a world that is safe, free, and equal for everyone.

1. Follow Sea-Watch’s social media channels to stay informed about Aurora 2 and search and rescue operations at sea.
2. Inform yourself and others: Share knowledge and talk about the problems created by current violent border policies.
3. Demonstrate: Show your solidarity in the streets when rallies and demonstrations are organized near you.
4. Get involved locally: Support organizations that work with and for the rights of refugees and displaced people.
5. Vote consciously in this year’s state elections: Give your vote to a party that opposes the logic of social division.