Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002431/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Emmanouil Kefalogiannis (PPE)
As part of its so-called ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine, Türkiye, in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, has submitted its own maritime spatial planning map to UNESCO, slicing the Aegean Sea in two. The Turkish maps reflect Ankara’s well-known revisionist approach, which calls into question the influence of the Greek islands and reinstates the theory of a ‘midline’ between Türkiye and mainland Greece. The map, designed by the University of Ankara and formally submitted to UNESCO as ‘scientific proof’, calls into question the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the Greek Aegean islands. It was published in response to Greece’s spatial planning, which is already contained in the EU acquis. The difference is that the Turkish map has no basis in international law or in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which has been signed by 168 countries, and is not directed at an international organisation that imposes an obligation to submit such maps. Greece will insist on its policy of principles, as is its obligation under international law.
Can the Commission therefore say:
What action will it take with regard to the Turkish map on maritime spatial planning, which calls into question the influence of Greek islands and Greek sovereignty?
Submitted: 17.6.2025