Greece Asks EU to Intervene in Unlawful Fishing Dispute with Turkey

The contented of unlawful sportfishing by Turkish fishermen successful Greek waters was raised during a gathering of Maritime Minister Vasilis Kikilias with ⁠the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis. Credit: X / @CostasKadis

The Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy demanded Friday that the EU measurement successful the quality with Turkey implicit the long-standing quality for unlawful sportfishing and violations of maritime law.

The contented was raised during a gathering of Minister Vasilis Kikilias with ⁠the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, successful Athens.

“I raised with the Commissioner a large contented for Greece, regarding our fishermen and our fishing, arsenic good arsenic the provocative behaviour of our Turkish neighbors successful practising amerciable fishing, non-respect for the Maritime Law and challenging our sovereign rights,” Kikilias said.

Turkey has spoken retired against Greek sportfishing restrictions successful parts of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean beyond Greek territorial waters, saying the bans are unlawful—a determination that has further escalated tensions implicit maritime jurisdiction.

In April, Turkey challenged the validity of the maps published connected the Greek Fisheries Control Directorate website and accused Greece of violating Turkish maritime jurisdiction.

In a statement, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the maps amusement sportfishing bans successful areas where, according to Ankara, Greece has nary ineligible authority, and argued that the restrictions interruption planetary law.

Greece calls connected Turkey to collaborate to extremity unlawful fishing

In opposition with the contented of amerciable immigration, wherever Turkey has demonstrated “effort and collaboration” that brought migration flows down by 45 percent successful 2025, the representation is antithetic successful tackling unlawful fishing, Kikilias said.

“In the country of ​​illegal fishing, we person existent problems, which we inquire – due to the fact that our maritime borders are besides European borders and maritime instrumentality applies to everyone – to beryllium regulated accordingly,” the Greek curate stated. “We inquire the European Union to intervene astatine this level. We privation solutions to beryllium provided to an contented of captious value for a precise important assemblage for our country, which is fishing,” helium pointed out.

Following the meeting, EU Commissioner Kadis wrote connected X that the EU is acceptable to enactment Greece “in addressing fisheries power issues, with the purpose of a fair, sustainable and competitory fisheries policy.”

Turkey’s maritime claims beyond fisheries

According to a recent report from Bloomberg, the authorities of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is preparing to ballot by June connected the alleged Blue Homeland Law, which would formally specify Turkey’s maritime jurisdiction areas and could besides springiness home ineligible signifier to Ankara’s claims to maritime economical zones successful the Aegean Sea and the remainder of the Eastern Mediterranean.

The draught authorities reportedly states that Ankara is reviewing the ineligible presumption of islands, islets, and stone formations, which Turkey collectively refers to arsenic “gray zones.”

These geographical features person periodically triggered tensions betwixt Greece and Turkey for decades.