Greek priorities for marine security and oceans were reported by the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis Speaking on Monday afternoon (June 9) at the 3rd Conference of UN For the oceans, held in Nice, France.
On the agenda of the conference are climate, change, pollution, biodiversity and sustainable fishing and the Greek prime minister, in the context of national intervention, announced that Greece is directly implementing two new national maritime parks in its seas.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that Greece will create two news before the end of the month national parks to Ionian and the southern Cyclades, starting the relevant legal procedures. According to Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the creation of these marine parks aims to increase the percentage of protected marine areas to 30% of the country’s territorial waters.
“This is the first step, as more will come. This will increase the protected areas in our national waters, ”he said.
The creation of the two national marine parks in the Ionian and the Aegean is part of our country’s commitments to increase the size of its maritime protected areas to 30% of its territorial waters. Greece is committed to the 30X30 initiative -that is, protection of 30% of marine wealth by 2030.
The Greek prime minister also referred to security issues, and reiterated Greece’s support for fleeting efforts, but stressing that it should be overall, otherwise it would be ineffective.
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Following is the full text of the Prime Minister’s national intervention in the 3rd UN Conference on the Oceans, in Nice
Excellent, dear colleagues,
It is my real pleasure to participate with you at the 3rd UN Conference on Oceans.
For my country, Greece, the sea is not just important, it is part of our identity. We are a naval nation, with the largest commercial fleet in the world, thousands of islands and one of the largest coastlines in the world. Our connection to the sea shapes not only our economy and lifestyle, but also our identity.
I would like to thank France and Costa Rica for organizing the 3rd United Nations Conference on Oceans and for focusing our attention on the urgent need to speed up our joint action to protect our oceans. After all, the ancient god Ocean was a symbol of a primordial world believed to have been surrounded by water.
Today we know that water maintains all life and we recognize that protecting our oceans is a global task. At the end of the day, their health depends on joint management. Because the rescue of our seas is not just a work of one nation, it is a work of our generation.
This year we have a specific goal ahead of us, an important milestone: to ratify the biodiversity agreement in areas beyond BBNJ Agreement to bring in place.
This agreement is a historical step in preserving and biological diversity and the international community must put pressure on its implementation as soon as possible.
It is my honor to announce that Greece is doing its job. We ratified the BBNJ Agreement and will submit the ratification document today. And, of course, we intend to do more.
I am pleased to announce to you that Greece has taken a very important step in protecting the seas at national level: Before the end of this month we begin the legal process for the creation of two new national marine parks, one in the Ionian Sea and one in the Southern Cyclades in the Aegean Sea.
With the new parks, we will significantly increase marine protected areas in our territorial waters: Once these parks are completed, we will significantly exceed the 30% long before the 30×30 target of 2030. And of course, we will ban fishing with motorcycles in all marine parks.
And of course, we will not stop there: We take complete measures to ensure that all of our maritime protected areas are effectively protected and are not just “papers” parks.
This means, monitoring and supervising state -of -the -art supervision and effective governance in collaboration with NGOs.
We rely on the ambitious commitments and the specific actions taken at the 9th International Oceans Conference, which Greece proudly hosted last year.
We take targeted measures for the recovery, recovery and durability of our marine species and biodiversity, with the aim of declaring 10% of our territorial waters as zones without fishing activity.
In this context, we support initiatives of local fishing communities, such as on the island of Amorgos, “Amorgororama”, which establishes specific zones of fishing around the island as safe shelters for marine life.
Let me say a word about the charisma of shipping. We should speed up but at the same time coordinate this energy transition. Fanngealization must be global, otherwise it will be ineffective. That is why Greece has joined the CEM Hubs initiative, implemented by the International Maritime Chamber of Commerce (ICS), which connects producers, ports, shipowners and investors to increase the use of alternative fuel. And that is why the recent agreement of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is not without challenges itself, must be respected by all countries, avoiding partial arrangements.
Greece is also a pioneer in promoting maritime safety. We recently highlighted its importance during our Presidency at the UN Security Council.
A safe maritime space promotes global political stability, economic stability, supply security, sustainable development and prosperity of all peoples. And we must do more as an international community to enhance sea security.
For the protection and safety of our oceans and seas, legal frameworks are essential. The United Nations Convention on Sea Law (UNCLOS) is the only international framework we have for the maritime sector and a stable basis for global sea government, whose constant importance is today confirmed by the BBNJ Agreement, its third agreement.
Dear friends,
For Greece and all the peoples of the Mediterranean, our sea is our heritage. It has been linking us for millennia, as the oceans connect the continents. Protecting our seas and oceans must unite us today.
We have to commit together to save them and save our future.
Let us match words with action and respond to the decisive challenge of our time.
Thank you very much.
Closer to European goals
It is recalled that a significant step towards protecting the country’s maritime wealth is the design of the National Marine Parks Network promoted by the Ministry of the Environment, in collaboration with scientific and local bodies. The network provides for the creation of new strictly protected areas in the Aegean and the Ionian Sea, with the aim of stopping marine ecosystems, maintaining biodiversity and sustainable fishing management.
Greece has a rich marine natural capital, but only 0.3% of its waters is under strict protection. The new network aspires to bring the country closer to European goals for climate durability and green development.
Although parks are purely environmental, as Athens says, Turkish reactions are not missing, with Ankara arguing that some areas that are part of the parks do not belong to Greek sovereignty, citing “controversial” islands and islands, which Turkey and Turkey, Egg, Zafa, Kandelousa, Levitha etc.).
Recall that in April 2024, when the institutionalization of marine parks had been announced, there had been intense reaction from Turkey. “We recommend that Greece do not involve the pending Aegean issues and issues concerning the status of certain islands, islands and rocks whose sovereignty has not been granted to Greece by international treaties, in the context of its own agenda,” he said, among other things.