Fisheries law

Turkey has issued two fresh navigational telexes reserving an area stretching between the Aegean islands of Kastelorizo and Rhodes, and another inside Cyprus' exclusive economic zone.

Crystal-clear rhetoric and powerful symbolism. The visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Greece met - if not exceeded - expectations.

In yet another blatant violation of Cyprus' sovereignty, Turkey on Thursday sent its Yavuz drillship to an area off the west coast of the island and within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to prospect for hydrocarbons.

The area, which is in Block 7 of the island's EEZ, has already been licensed for exploration to the French-Italian consortium of Total and Eni.

Fortunately for Raljevic, he now has something else, a pioneering project conducted by the World Wildlife Fund and FishMPABlue2, a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund to improve the sustainability of small-scale fishing in the chronically over-fished waters of the Mediterranean.

Overfishing has been depleting fish stocks, Professor Bayram Öztürk has warned, as the fishing season started with the end of the ban on Sept. 1. Measures against overfishing, especially in terms of preventing illegal fishing, should be taken alongside encouraging traditional family fishing, said Öztürk, the head of the Turkish Research Marine foundation.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, found common ground during talks in Athens with Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on bilateral relations and on the energy crisis in Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone where the Italian energy giant ENI has received an exploration license which Turkey has challenged.

The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has extensive and long-term plans in the Eastern Mediterranean that do not only include Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but also areas on the edge of the Greek continental shelf, Kathimerini understands.

By the end of 2020, a maritime spatial plan covering Bulgarian territorial waters in the Black Sea should be ready. This was stated by the regional deputy minister Denitsa Nikolova, quoted by the press center of the department. The plan is the first step and fundamental document for the implementation of the country's maritime policy.

Nicosia has granted approval to the energy companies ENI and Total to explore block seven of Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and approved nine other drilling operations within the EEZ over the next two years.

The approval was finalized in a cabinet meeting on Monday following recent indications by Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis that an agreement was in the works.

Romania has closed 11 files in the field of agriculture, rural development and fisheries in the six months in which it held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, compared to four as originally proposed, and the most important file for the country was the one on unfair commercial practices, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Petre Daea told AGERPRES.