At the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in Nice, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that Greece is on track to exceed the global target of protecting 30% of its marine areas well before the 2030 deadline.

Highlighting Greece’s identity as a maritime nation—with the world’s largest merchant fleet, thousands of islands, and one of the longest coastlines globally—Mitsotakis underscored the country’s historic and economic ties to the sea.

The Prime Minister also unveiled plans to create two new marine parks—one in the Ionian Sea and another in the Southern Cyclades. These parks will significantly expand Greece’s network of protected marine areas, says Mitsotakis. Once completed, the initiative will push Greece’s protected waters beyond the 30% threshold, years ahead of international targets.

Mitsotakis also reminded that Greece has ratified the UN High Seas Biodiversity Treaty (BBNJ) and will formally deposit the ratification, marking a key step toward international ocean conservation efforts.

The Prime Minister emphasized that all Greek marine parks will prohibit bottom trawling and that 10% of national waters will be designated as strict no-take zones- a measure announced at last year’s Our Ocean Conference. Measures will include advanced monitoring and enforcement to ensure the effectiveness of protections.

On global issues, Mitsotakis called for coordinated action on decarbonizing the shipping sector, warning that fragmented efforts would undermine results. He reaffirmed Greece’s support for the Clean Energy Marine Hubs initiative and the recent IMO agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

He also highlighted the importance of maritime security and international legal frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), calling them essential tools for protecting the oceans as shared global heritage.

“The protection of our seas and oceans must unite us,” Mitsotakis said, urging world leaders to match words with action and meet the defining environmental challenge of our time.

In the past, environmental organizations in Greece have applauded the country’s ambition in the field of marine protection, but have highlighted that the country needs to transform declarations in concrete plans with proper monitoring and enforcement- something that has not yet occured.