A declaration of intent for cooperation in the maritime sector was signed by the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Christos Stylianides, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Theodoros Skylakakis, and French State Secretary, Hervé Berville.
In particular, the relevant declaration, signed at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, includes the following areas of cooperation:
- Consultations of the two parties, on a regular basis, regarding the preparation of the United Nations Conference on Oceans in 2025 (Nice, France, 9-13 June 2025).
France and Greece are working together to widen the alliance for a moratorium or a pre-emptive stop on deep-sea mining, as well as to advance negotiations for a global treaty to combat plastic pollution and to implement the goal of protecting the oceans, notably through the strengthening of marine protected area networks.
The two countries cooperate to strengthen the governance of the maritime economy sector, within the framework of the European Union (EU) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
- Consultations on the development of offshore wind energy, through: exchange of experiences on production licenses and search for bilateral integration plans and industrial cooperation for the construction of offshore wind farms, in collaboration with companies in the sector, both in France as well as in Greece.
- Search for possibilities for joint actions or investment opportunities in the shipping sector, as well as cooperation for the adaptation of Greek and French ports to European and international environmental standards (fuel supply, electrification, etc.). The above initiatives are promoted, based on the goals decided at European and international level for the decarbonization of maritime transport.
The cooperation of the two countries in the above matters – depending on the availability of resources – can be carried out by the exchange of technical information, the mobilization of experts and the exchange of methods and tools, as well as the mobilization of every useful/relevant partner for the development and achievement of projects cooperation, etc.
