Greece Commits 780 Million to Protect the Seas, Mitsotakis Says

Greece is pushing ahead with 21 initiatives worth 780 million euros ($830.9 million) to protect the seas and tackle coastal pollution, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday.

Mitsotakis’ pledge was made on the eve of the international “Our Ocean” Conference that will take place in Athens.

Delegates at the April 15-17 Our Ocean Conference include 12 heads of state, around 50 ministers and officials, and representatives from 120 nations and entities, including the UN, EU, and NATO.

Greece, which has thousands of islands and the longest Mediterranean coastline of any littoral state, said last week it plans to create two marine parks, one in the Ionian Sea and one in the Aegean Sea, as part of the initiatives.

“Quietly but methodically, Greece is playing a leading role in the defense against dramatic climate changes, which are proven to affect every region and every activity,” Mitsotakis said in an article published in The Kathimerini newspaper.

The Greek marine parks, whose boundaries will be defined after scientific research by early 2025, will cover 32 percent of Greece’s waters, Mitsotakis said.

The plan for a marine park in the Aegean Sea has irritated neighboring Turkey, which said last week it was not willing to accept a possible “fait accompli on geographical features whose status is disputed.” In response, Greece accused Turkey of “politicizing a purely environmental issue.”

Mitsotakis highlights our initiatives to protect seas, environment

Mitsotakis said other initiatives underway include campaigns to curb plastic pollution, setting up a monitoring system for protected marine areas because fishing practices that damage the seabed will be prohibited, and constructing charging stations at 12 ports for electric vessels.

Mitsotakis outlined a national strategy based on four pillars. The first aims to expedite the green transition so that Greece will gradually meet its electricity needs from natural sources—“60% this year and 80% in 2030. With the aim, immediately afterward, of not only being self-sufficient in clean and cheap energy but also of exporting it,” he noted.

The second pillar is the fortification of the country and the state against natural disasters with efforts underway to organize, staff, and equip civil protection services with the most modern means and the drafting of a comprehensive water management program for Thessaly.

The third pillar is order in the public and the built environment. “Indeed, arbitrariness does not only alter landscapes and deprive citizens of their rights. But it also creates additional problems, which add to the disasters,” he stressed.

The final pillar pertains to the protection of the seas. “There is no economic and social prosperity if it is not in harmony with nature and the environment. And the dominant natural element was, is and will be water. In the age of the climate crisis, therefore, we protect it,” he added.