Greece by Presidential Decree declared EEZ in the Ionian

The Presidential Decree was published in the Government Gazette, according to which « it is proclaimed by the Hellenic Republic Economic zone in the marine area of ​​the Ionian Sea, the Ionian Islands and up to the Cape Tainaro of the Peloponnese. « 

This is the first Presidential Decree signed by Konstantinos Tasoulas as President of the Republic, dated April 16, 2025.

The Greece -Italy Agreement

The EEZ in the Ionian Sea, the Ionian Islands and up to Cape Tainaro in the Peloponnese is the result of the Greece -Italy agreement signed in 2020.

The Presidential Decree

As stated in the Presidential Decree in the proclamation of the EEZ, the provisions are taken into account:

« (A) Paragraph 1 of article second of Law 4716/2020 » Ratification of the Agreement between the Hellenic Republic and the Italian Republic on the demarcation of their respective maritime zones « (A ‘163), which came into force internationally on November 8, 2021, in accordance with Article 5 (2), as well as » B)  » signed on December 10, 1982 and ratified by Article 1 of Law 2321/1995 « Ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Agreement concerning the application of Part Xi of the Convention » (A 136), as well as Article Two of the above Law « .

As noted in the exclusive economic zone declared with the not including the coastal zone of the Hellenic Republic in the above maritime area, the range of which was determined by Law 4767/2021 (A 9).

It is also noted that « the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Hellenic Republic within the proclaimed exclusive economic zone are exercised on the basis of Parts V, VI, VII, VIII, XII and XIII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which was signed on December 10, 1982. 2321/1995 ».

It is also emphasized that « the Hellenic Republic reserves the exercise, and for its other coasts, its respective rights, as they arise from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on 10 December 1982 ». See the Government Gazette here.

Gerapetritis for marine spatial planning

It is recalled that in an interview (SKAI) on Wednesday, referring to the time he chooses for the announcement of marine spatial planning, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis had highlighted the two agreements signed by Greece with Egypt and Egypt and Egypt. He noted that on Wednesday, the day of the publication of the maritime spatial planning « The Processing of the Council of State was also issued and the Greek-Italian Agreement is essentially incorporated into the Greek legal order. And for this reason he couldn’t be earlier. « 

The question, however, is why the procedures for proclaiming the exclusive economic zone in the Ionian Sea, the Ionian Islands and up to Cape Tainaro in the Peloponnese had not progressed faster.