The intervention of the European Union on illegal fishing by Turkish fishermen is called for by Vassilis Kikilias.
The Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, in a meeting with the European Commissioner for Oceans and Fisheries, Kostas Kadis, referred to the provocative behaviour of Turkish fishermen, illegal fishing and violations of the law of the sea.
As the minister said, “I raised with the Commissioner the major issue for Greece, regarding our fishermen and our fisheries, as well as the provocative behavior of our neighbors of Turks, with their illegal fishing, their disrespect for the law of the sea and their questioning of our sovereign rights.”
Kikilias stressed that “in the area of illegal fishing we have real problems, which we are asking – because our maritime borders are also European borders and the law of the sea applies to everyone – to be regulated accordingly. We ask the European Union to intervene at this level. We want solutions to an issue of vital importance for a very important sector for our country, which is fishing.”
On the other hand, in the field of illegal immigration, the minister noted that with Turkey “there is cooperation and effort so that migration flows are reduced,” noting that “in 2025, flows from the neighboring country decreased by 45%.”
For his part, Mr. Kadis presented the initiatives of the European Commission in the framework of the Ocean Pact and the strategy for the protection and sustainable management of the seas, while he also referred to the harmonization of fisheries control procedures in Greece. He confirmed the excellent cooperation with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, stressing that the European Commission is at the disposal of the Greek government to support the implementation of European policies in Greece.
