Rescue operations for migrants in distress in the Mediterranean Sea do not entail additional migrants, according to a study. Rather, worsening conflicts, natural disasters and rising food prices at home are determining factors for the departure of migrants. The study refutes an argument made by politicians such as Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who sees bailouts as an additional motivation, a so-called pull factor, for potential migrants. Since 2014, more than 20,000 migrants have lost their lives or are reported missing. Most of them drowned.