A sizeable majority of deputies in Greece’s Parliament on Friday approved a draft bill ratifying four energy agreements between Greece and a consortium comprised of multinational Chevron and Helleniq Energy, a partially state-owned refinery group.
The agreements grant rights for the exploration and potential exploitation of hydrocarbons in maritime blocks south of Crete and the Peloponnese.
MPs from ruling New Democracy party and main opposition PASOK voted in favor of the bill, in principle. Deputies from lesser opposition parties, on both the left and right political spectrum, such as SYRIZA, the Communist Party (KKE), Niki, New Left and Plefsi Eleftherias (Course of Freedom, while Greek Solution declared “present.”
All opposition parties voted against the two contract articles concerning the areas south of Crete, expressing concerns about the safeguarding of Greece’s sovereign rights in that maritime region.
Stavros Papastavrou speaking at the Chevron-HELLENIQ Energy consortium on February 17, 2026.
Closing the two-day debate, Energy and Environment Minister Stavros Papastavrou described the agreement as a “historic moment,” calling it “a leap forward for the utilization of the country’s energy wealth” and “a fundamental choice for a Greece that is outward-looking, energy resilient and self-sufficient.”
