Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginia Sinkevitsios, on Thursday in Maximou, with the Prime Minister raising the issue of illegal fishing within the Greek territory, in the wake of the challenges of Turkish fishermen.
“I would like to emphasize that we are absolutely committed to the effort so that the green transition works in Greece for everyone,” the Prime Minister stressed, among other things.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Sinkevitsios had the following dialogue:
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: It is a great pleasure to welcome you. I must point out that you have an exciting portfolio and I am sure you would have the opportunity to learn more about our ambitious plans for all matters relating to your portfolio.
I would like to emphasize that we are absolutely committed to the effort so that the green transition works in Greece for everyone. I believe that we have a very bold but realistic agenda on these issues, and we look forward to working with the European Commission to use the funds in the Recovery and Sustainability Plan to make the green transition a reality, while creating many jobs.
I believe that we can very convincingly support our arguments for the need to protect the environment. Enhancing biodiversity is, at least in the case of Greece, not only an ecologically urgent need, but also an economically self-evident choice. And we really look forward to discussing these issues. There are also some issues that are of particular importance to us when it comes to fish stocks and illegal fishing within our territory. I am also very interested in hearing your views on these issues.
Virgin Sinquevits: First of all, thank you very much. I am very happy and it is a great honor to visit Greece. I believe that Greece is a country blessed with emblematic natural landscapes and significant biodiversity. At the top of the agenda, of course, is the European Green Deal and climate action. And just last week, the government proposed a really ambitious network of actions, which, of course, we have already taken into account. The public debate has just begun but I think it is very important that you approach the Green Agreement as an opportunity, because what we are trying to do is show that the Green Agreement is not an environmental or climate law.
It is a horizontal change that will affect many different areas. And of course, in this transition, there must be a place for everyone, because the Green Agreement can only be implemented if everyone participates. If one is left behind, the green deal will fail. That is why a fair transition is at the heart of the green agreement. I would like to congratulate you, of course, on the ambitious goals you have set for biodiversity. I was also in Marseille when you made the announcement about the Mediterranean. I believe that this issue is of great importance to you and is in the heart of the Greeks. Surely a lot of work needs to be done to bring the Mediterranean Sea to a healthy level, as we want it to be.
This will not only benefit the people, but it will also be economically viable. Because coastal communities depend on healthy sea and not only fish stocks, but it will also benefit the tourism sector, which has again been hit hard by the Covid pandemic and of course needs our attention. I deeply appreciate our cooperation. I believe that Greece and the European Commission always work in a very constructive way with the respective Ministers. And of course we take all the issues you mentioned very seriously, including the issue of fisheries. I can assure you that the Commission is doing what it can.
We raise this issue many times, especially in the context of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). Of course, there are some things that we will probably discuss later about the main problems. But the Commission fully supports Greece in this matter.
From the Greek side, the meeting was attended by the Minister of Environment and Energy Costas Skrekas, the Minister of Rural Development and Food Spilios Libanos and the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy George Amyras.
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