A group of Social Democratic (SPD) members of the German Bundestag have voiced concerns regarding proposed cuts to funding for civilian sea rescue operations in the 2025 federal budget. According to a letter addressed to Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU), reported by “Politico” on Thursday, the lawmakers are urging a reconsideration of the approximately 2 million euro reduction.
The letter, signed by twelve SPD representatives including parliamentary director Derya Türk-Nachbaur, legal policy spokesperson Carmen Wegge, labor policy spokesperson Annika Klose and interior policy expert Rasha Nasr, expresses “grave concern” over the proposed cuts. It emphasizes the Foreign Office’s responsibility for upholding international law, human rights and humanitarian values and argues that Germany should not compromise on efforts to save lives at sea to maintain its credibility internationally.
The signatories are also appealing to their own party leadership and key budget negotiators, addressing a letter to Matthias Miersch, Wiebke Esdar, Thorsten Rudolph and Esther Dilcher. This communication requests continued and forceful advocacy for the preservation of these funds within coalition negotiations.
Furthermore, the lawmakers stress the importance of clarifying public discourse surrounding the issue. They maintain that the proposed cuts are being driven by the CDU/CSU bloc and that it is crucial to publicly attribute the reduction to the coalition partner to ensure transparency and maintain public trust in the SPD’s position.
