Greece has submitted its long-awaited maritime spatial plan to the European Union, outlining how it will organize various maritime activities such as fishing, tourism, offshore energy, and more.
This submission comes after a series of delays that drew criticism from the European Commission and led to a ruling from the EU Court of Justice in February, which found that Greece had violated EU regulations by failing to finalize its plan by the March 2021 deadline.
The maritime spatial plan is critical for managing activities in Greece’s vast and strategically important maritime areas. It sets out where specific activities, including fishing, sea transport, aquaculture, tourism, and renewable energy projects, can take place, helping to ensure sustainable use of marine resources and the protection of ecosystems from overfishing and pollution. These plans are a requirement under EU law for the protection and sustainable management of marine and coastal areas.
The Greek government acknowledged the delays, attributing them to the challenges posed by the country's extensive coastline, numerous islands, and complex geopolitical conditions in the eastern Mediterranean. The plan, however, does not include any exclusive economic zones (EEZs), which Greece and its neighbors, including Turkey, are still negotiating. While Greece has established EEZs with Italy and Egypt, talks with Turkey regarding maritime boundaries remain unresolved due to ongoing disputes over mineral rights in the Aegean Sea and the issue of Cyprus.
Environmental groups, including Greenpeace and WWF, have long pressured Greece to deliver its maritime spatial plan, accusing the government of neglecting the environmental aspects of maritime management. The submission of the plan is seen as a positive step toward fulfilling Greece's obligations under EU law, but it remains to be seen how effectively it will address the ecological concerns raised by environmental organizations.
The EU now awaits Greece's formal approval of the spatial plans, with the expectation that they will serve as a framework for sustainable and coordinated use of Greece's maritime areas while also facilitating ongoing discussions with neighboring countries on maritime zones.
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Prince William and Princess Kate marked their 14th wedding anniversary Tuesday with a rare joint appearance on Mull and Iona, their first major public trip since the princess’s cancer treatment.
Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur says the U.S. will keep its 80,000 troops in Europe, calling bases like Ramstein and Naples crucial to NATO’s eastern shield and American power projection despite Washington’s growing Indo-Pacific focus.
Mark Carney walked into the Prime Minister’s Office on Wellington Street Tuesday morning, his first official act after steering the Liberals to a decisive election triumph and reclaiming the reins of Canada’s government.
Nearly 39,000 people have been deported to Mexico since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, and 33,000 of them are Mexican nationals, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday.
Prince William and Princess Kate marked their 14th wedding anniversary Tuesday with a rare joint appearance on Mull and Iona, their first major public trip since the princess’s cancer treatment.
Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur says the U.S. will keep its 80,000 troops in Europe, calling bases like Ramstein and Naples crucial to NATO’s eastern shield and American power projection despite Washington’s growing Indo-Pacific focus.
Mark Carney walked into the Prime Minister’s Office on Wellington Street Tuesday morning, his first official act after steering the Liberals to a decisive election triumph and reclaiming the reins of Canada’s government.
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed Tuesday to enhance economic and defense cooperation, affirming their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas through force or coercion.
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