Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001193/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Nikolaos Anadiotis (NI)
Articles 87 and 112 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)[1] stipulate that the laying and maintenance of submarine cables in the high seas is an inalienable right of all states. Furthermore, Article 79 stipulates that states are also entitled to lay submarine cables on the continental shelf of another country (coastal state) and that this coastal state can regulate the procedure but not impede it.
However, according to recent reports, the Italian vessel Ievoli Relume, which had been conducting surveys for the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection (Great Sea Interconnector) project, was pressured into leaving the area despite the fact that it was operating in international waters and within the Greek continental shelf. This raises serious questions about what essentially amounts to the non-implementation of international law and the lack of freedom of Member States to develop strategic infrastructure projects without the interference of non-EU countries.
In view of the above, can the Commission answer the following:
- 1.What precise measures does it intend to take to ensure that Member States can freely exercise their rights within their continental shelf and in international waters, in accordance with international law?
- 2.Will there be an official EU response towards Türkiye given its threatening behaviour, with a view to protecting the interests of EU Member States?
Submitted: 20.3.2025
- [1] https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf.