Greece is acquiring for the first time a complete, established maritime spatial planning (MSS), with the issuance of the National Spatial Strategy for the Maritime Area (ECTH).
The establishment act was published today at the initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant Ministries.
It is an important strategic intersection in the country’s spatial organization, as for the first time the state defines and reflects on maps the uses and activities that can be developed throughout the range of marine zones, while exercising its rights as provided for in international law/sea law 2014/EU law.
See the map:
The strategy gives a comprehensive response to the obligation that emerged after the country’s conviction by the European Court of Justice last February, and incorporates critical data on the Greek continental shelf, as well as the EEZ agreements with Italy and Egypt.
“We in practice defend national interests,” the government says
“We close the pending past, we defend national interests in practice”, say government sources, While adding that, because of the pending pending, this does not mean that Greece does not seek good relations with Turkey. It should be noted, the reaction of the neighbor should be expected and acute.
The government says that the map of the middle line for the marketing and EEZ is applied to the map until the demarcation agreements are found with neighboring states eg. Turkey, Egypt and so on And, of course, the deposition of marine spatial planning can also act as a guide to the utilization of maritime resources, with the entry of American Chevron to equate the utilization of Greek hydrocarbons being recent.
With this given, government sources say that marine spatial planning becomes part of the European acquis.
According to the same government sources, “Turkey knew that we would make such a move because we have a deadline of April 27 from the European Court of Justice to testify. It is paside that Turkey has reacted to our own design and not the other way around. “
What does the design include
The marine spatial planning is divided into four spatial sections and sets the limits of the continental shelf in accordance with the Greek -Italian agreements of 1977 and 2020.
Correspondingly, the EEZ limits reflect the Greek -Egyptian agreement of 2020.
The imprinting of the midline determines the external boundaries of the Greek continental shelf until the conclusion of demarcation agreements with neighboring states whose coasts are adjacent or objects with the Greek coasts. Map also includes the boundaries of zone coastline, existing national legislation, Greek -Turkish protocol of 1926, Italian -Turkish agreement and protocol of 1932, subject to generally expanding the range of up to 12 nautical miles, according to the law of law.
The approach adopted is holistic, often composing conflicting parameters – social, economic, energy and environmental – to serve objectives such as:
the climate durability of the marine environment,
Sustainable Tourism Development,
The protection of cultural heritage and nine antiquities,
sea security and transport,
the exploitation of energy resources,
the aquaculture and
Strengthening cross -border works of common interest.
The strategy places particular emphasis on the conciliation of priorities by region and land -sea interactions, through the provision of marine spatial frames by region.
Reportedly, the technical work on the part of the Ministry of the Environment had long been completed, and the issue has been heavily concerned with the Maximus Palace in recent days, with continuous consultations by Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou.
The activation of the ESSF is gaining an additional geopolitical burden, as Turkey has repeatedly expressed objections to any Greek initiative regulates the maritime space in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The strategy is estimated to function as a valuable tool of politics, diplomacy and investment planning for the country’s seas, establishing in a documented way of Greece’s sovereignty and maritime powers.
Following is the announcement by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
“The act of setting up the National Spatial Strategy for the Marine Area (ESSH), which specializes and reflects on a map by the country’s maritime planning (MSS), was published today at the initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Energy in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This is an important initiative, as for the first time our country sets the rules for organizing the marine space. The MSS is a holistic spatial framework and is a prerequisite for the successful development of a blue and circular economy, with a sharpness capturing human activities that can be performed in all maritime zones of our country, with respect to the indispensable need to protect the environment.
The approach followed during the preparation of the ESDF has often compiled conflicting social, economic, energy and environmental parameters, in order to serve a series of interrelated goals, such as climate durability of the marine environment, sustainable tourism and protection of our cultural and protection, The exploitation of the country’s energy resources, the aquaculture and the strengthening of cross -border works of common interest. The ICS takes into account the interactions between land and marine activities and emphasizes the consultation and co -ordination of priorities by region, through the establishment of marine spatial frames.
With the MSS and the ESSHF, the Greek state for the first time defines detailed uses of its maritime zones, implementing the obligation arising from Directive 2014/89/EU and exercising the rights derived from international law.
Ministers
Foreign
George Gerapetritis
Environmental and energy
Stavros Papastavrou »
Questions for marine spatial planning
1. Why is the training and specialization and imprint on a map of marine spatial planning? (TSS)
It is the first time that they have been imprinted on an official EU regulatory text. The ultimate potential boundaries of the Greek continental shelf (that is, the full influence of the mainland and the islands in marine zones).
2. So what does the map imprint?
The marine areas reflected on the map include the Greek -Italian EEZ delineation agreements of 1977 and 2020 and the Greek -Egyptian agreement of 2020, coinciding with the limits arising from Law 4001/2011.
As far as non -demarcated areas are concerned, the midline setting the external boundary of the Greek continental shelf is reflected until the demarcation agreements with adjacent states, whose coasts are adjacent or objects to the Greek coasts, is imprinted.
3. So the map reflects the EEZ of Greece throughout the Greek territory (in the Ionian Sea, in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean)?
The process of defining the maritime zones has a different object from maritime spatial planning, which relates to the process by which the competent authorities of the Member States analyze and organize human activities in the above maritime areas to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives.
Consequently, the map that captures the Greek maritime spatial planning does not constitute EEZ delineation.
4. Does it capture the expansion of the Greek coastal zone to 12 nautical miles (in the Aegean and in the Eastern Mediterranean)?
The expansion of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles is an inalienable right of our country arising from the United Nations Convention on Sea Law. It is a right to the exercise whose Greece reserves when and as it considers it national interest under the rules arising from international law.
5. How does the training of marine spatial planning be linked to sovereignty and the exercise of sovereign rights?
Maritime spatial planning and map specialization is a map of activities in all maritime zones of the country – not exercising sovereign rights.
Sovereignty is not the object of design. It is pre -existing and not affected by him.
6. Why is the government now depositing maritime spatial planning?
The government is closing pending the past. It defends national interests in practice and in a meaningful way, not with communication flares.
7. The training of the MSS may cause Turkey to react. So you abandon the Greek -Turkish dialogue?
The fact that we solve the pending of the past does not mean that we do not pursue the Greek -Turkish dialogue. The fact that we disagree does not mean that we do not discuss. What we are discussing does not mean that we make discounts from our positions and this is proved in practice. Greece wants a positive climate in relations with Turkey and has been in favor of Greek -Turkish understanding based on international law and good neighborly from the beginning.
In addition, marine spatial planning is about an essential obligation of our country to the EU. resulting from specific European directives and is part of a series of European strategies, such as the Green Agreement and the European Security Strategy Strategy.