New obstacles are emerging in the effort by Libya to unilaterally enforce its maritime claims in the Mediterranean, as following Greece and Egypt, both Italy and Tunisia have submitted official verbal notes to the UN, rejecting Libya’s delimitation of the EEZ.

This development strengthens Athens’ position, as it continues its diplomatic efforts aimed at referring the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The note verbale sent by Libya to the UN in May 2025, accompanied by a map, provoked strong reactions from the outset. Tripoli attempted to unilaterally demarcate its EEZ based on the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, advancing claims that extend south of Crete and challenging Greek sovereign rights.

Greece rejected the Libyan positions from the outset. Now, however, Italy and Tunisia, creating a broader diplomatic front against Libya’s unilateral actions.

For Athens, this development is of particular significance, as it reinforces the argument that Libya’s claims do not concern only Greek-Libyan relations, but affect security and the legal order in the Mediterranean as a whole.

At the same time, talks are continuing with the government of Tripoli, with the Greek delegation led by Deputy Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou, while the issue was also raised with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar by Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, during his recent visit to Benghazi.

At the same time, Greece has proceeded with the licensing of the two offshore blocks south of Crete to Chevron, delineating areas based on the median line, in accordance with the Law of the Sea. In fact, in the blocks that Libya has essentially accepted this methodology, a fact that sets a positive precedent for the Greek position.

However, as there is no prospect of an agreement between the two countries, the Greek side continues to regard the drafting of joint agreement to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where the issue of the legality of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum will also be raised.

Italy’s letter: “It violates our rights and interests”

Italy, in a letter sent to the UN on May 26, 2026, announced its own notification to Libya, even requesting that it be recorded in the Organization’s official publications on the Law of the Sea.

The text states: “The outer limit of the continental shelf claimed by Libya in the aforementioned note verbale infringes upon Italy’s rights and interests under the Law of the Sea, specifically east of the meridian 15°10’ E and west of the meridian 13°50’ E, as depicted on the map accompanying the aforementioned note.”

The Italian side further emphasizes that these specific meridians: “Do indeed constitute the ‘defined boundaries’ established by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in its June 3, 1985, judgment in the case of ‘Continental Shelf of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya v. Malta’…”

According to Rome, Libya accepts the previous boundaries with Italy, but is attempting to shift the line northward, unilaterally expanding its claims. At the same time, the Italian government is calling on Tripoli to engage in dialogue with neighboring countries regarding the delimitation of maritime zones.

Tunisia’s Position: Violation of The Hague Rulings

On April 19, 2026, Tunisia also sent a note verbale to the UN, rejecting Libya’s delimitation and arguing that it violates the 1982 decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the case of “Tunisian Continental Shelf/Libyan Arab Jamahiriya” of 1982.

Tunisia argues that the Libyan demarcation is illegal and excessive, since:

  • it does not follow the methodology established by the International Court of Justice in The Hague,
  • it is not consistent with the implementation agreement signed by the two countries in 1988,
  • it concerns only the continental shelf and not the territorial waters, for which there is still no agreement between the two states.

Tunisia also points out that the International Court of Justice had not precisely determined the terminus of the delimitation line to the northeast, as this will depend on future agreements with third states.

At the same time, it rejects the unilateral demarcation of the outer limits of the EEZ and the adjacent zone presented by Libya to the UN, calling on Tripoli to engage in sincere and good-faith dialogue to resolve outstanding issues.