Greece rejects Libya’s EEZ filing, but Tripoli holds to international law

Libya has reiterated its legitimate rights in the Mediterranean after Greece submitted a protest note to the United Nations challenging Tripoli’s recent maritime filing.

On 27 May 2025, Libya lodged its official submission with the UN, setting out the outer limits of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Mediterranean. The filing, published by the UN on 1 July 2025, is based on Libya’s sovereign right to manage its coastal and continental waters in accordance with international law.

In response, Greece sent a letter dated 3 September 2025 rejecting Libya’s position. Athens claimed that the Libyan filing relies on the 2019 Turkey–Libya memorandum of understanding and disputes Libya’s use of straight baselines in drawing its EEZ.

Libya, however, has consistently defended its approach, arguing that the median line principle—based on continental coastlines—is the fairest method of delimitation, a view supported by international precedents and shared by other Mediterranean states.

Legal experts note that Greece’s insistence on granting disproportionate maritime zones to small islands, such as Crete, undermines the principle of equity enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Libya’s submission, by contrast, highlights its adherence to internationally recognised rules while safeguarding the country’s economic and strategic interests.

The dispute comes in the wider context of Eastern Mediterranean tensions, where overlapping claims have long pitted Libya and Turkey against Greece and Egypt. At stake are maritime sovereignty, hydrocarbon resources, and future development opportunities.

Despite Greek objections, Libyan officials maintain that Tripoli is ready to engage in constructive dialogue with all neighbours, provided that negotiations respect Libya’s sovereignty and follow a balanced interpretation of international law.