Greece has claimed an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as per UNCLOS 1982 as well as customary international law. The total size is 505,572 km2 (195,202 sq mi) which is the 53rd largest in the world.[1]

Geography

Claimed Exclusive Economic Zone of Greece

Greece forms the southernmost part of the Balkan peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. It includes many small islands which vary between 1,200 and 6,000 in the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea.[2] The largest islands are Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios.

Greece's EEZ is bordered to the west by Albania and Italy, to the south by Libya and Egypt, and to the east by Cyprus and Turkey.

EEZ Area of Greece[1]
Territory km2 sq mi Notes
Total 505,572 195,202

Disputes and agreements

Turkey doesn't recognize a legal continental shelf and EEZ around the Greek islands.

According to published maps, the Government of Israel has recognized the EEZ of Greece and Cyprus. They describe the course of the gas pipeline which will transfer gas produced by American Νoble Εnergy Ltd. from the Leviathan reservoir to Europe, through an undersea pipeline crossing Greece. By this proposal, Israel recognizes the Greek EEZ in the area and offers an advantage that Greece can use during negotiation procedures to support its claims on the area. In practice, this cooperation will set up a powerful energy coalition between Greece, Cyprus and Israel. The mining and operating part will be undertaken by an American company.[3] "The substance of the issue is that in an effort to protect and secure vital Israeli interests in the Mediterranean Sea, Israel has been left with no choice other than to officially delimit its maritime borders".[4]

On 8 June 2020, Greece signed an agreement with Italy, establishing an EEZ between the two countries and resolving longstanding issues over fishing rights in the Ionian Sea.[5]

On 6 August 2020, Greece signed an agreement with Egypt designating an EEZ in the Eastern Mediterranean between the two countries.[6] Both agreements are in line with Greece's claimed EEZ as per UNCLOS 1982 as well as customary international law.

In October 2020, Greece and Albania agreed to refer their EEZ boundary delimitation to the International Court.[7]

On 19 May 2023, Claudio Descalzi, the CEO of Italian energy company Eni, said that any agreement for the construction of the EastMed pipeline must include Turkey; he added that "there are disputes between Turkey and Cyprus that are difficult to remedy, furthermore Turkey has made an agreement with Libya to define a very vast platform that covers almost the entire EastMed, therefore not only Turkey but also Libya will have a say." In response to these comments, George Papanastasiou, the Cypriot Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, stated that not all people agree with the opinions expressed by Descalzi, and that he respects his opinion.[8] These remarks follow reports that Eni, Cyprus and Israel are working on a deal for constructing a natural gas pipeline in the Eastern Mediterranean, connecting both the Cypriot and Israeli offshore gas fields to a processing plant in Cyprus, where the gas will be liquefied for export by ship to Italy and the rest of Europe.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Sea Around Us – Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Marker, Sherry; Kerasiotis, Peter (2010). "Greece in depth". In Nadeau, Mark (ed.). Frommer's Greece. Hoboken: Wiley. p. 12.
  3. ↑ Israel Recognizes Greek Exclusive Economic Zone | News from Greeks in Africa, Asia, and South America Archived 19 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. World.greekreporter.com (23 February 2011). Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  4. ↑ Israel defends energy exploration deal with Cyprus | ICEJ UK Archived 2020-08-05 at the Wayback Machine. Uk.icej.org. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  5. ↑ Greece, Italy sign accord on maritime zones in Ionian Sea | Reuters. www.reuters.com. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  6. ↑ Egypt and Greece sign agreement on exclusive economic zone | Reuters. www.reuters.com. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  7. ↑ Team, ΤοΒΗΜΑ (2020-10-20). "Greece, Abania to refer EEZ delimitation to the Internationaol Court of Justice". Ειδήσεις - νέα - Το Βήμα Online (in Greek). Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  8. ↑ "'No EastMed pipeline without Turkey', ENI says". Cyprus Mail. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Israel pushes for increased gas exports to Italy". Euro News. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "Cyprus, Israel working on deal for natural gas pipeline, processing plant in Cyprus". Associated Press. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
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