Plenary session
8 October 2026
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PLENARY European Parliament
Follow its sittings00:25 - 01:29
Speaker 2
Good morning everyone. The meeting is open and I will start with the first message and I will be reading it in Romanian. Președinta a primit din partea Consiliului pozițiile sale în primă lectură. Președinta a primit de asemenea motivele care au condus la adoptarea acestora și pozițiile Comisiei. Titlurile complete vor fi publicate în procesul-verbal al ședinței de astăzi.
Termenul de trei luni de care dispune Parlamentul pentru a-și adopta pozițiile începe să curgă mâine, 9 octombrie. Now we move to the first item on the agenda. And the first item is Commission statement, escalations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean following persistent Turkish provocations. So we'll be starting the debate today with Commissioner Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President. You have the floor.
01:29 - 05:57
Speaker 1
Thank you, Chair, honorable members. The Eastern Mediterranean is a region of geostrategic importance for the stability and security of the EU. It is a region where the EU has a strong footprint through its Member States, Greece and Cyprus. It harbors major challenges that receive regular attention from the European Council and, in some cases, from the UN Security Council. The Eastern Mediterranean hosts one of the main migratory routes, as well as major trade and connection routes to the EU, and it bears the brunt of climate change.
For these reasons, we attach great importance to the developments in the relations between Greece and Türkiye and the overall situation in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. Türkiye is a candidate country, a NATO ally for most of our Member States and a key partner for the European Union. We have a strategic interest to further pursue the ongoing re-engagement with Türkiye and keep the country anchored to the EU. Cooperation is especially important when it comes to security, migration, connectivity and developments in our common neighborhood, particularly in Ukraine, in the Black Sea, in South Caucasus and Central Asia. Yet our relationship also presents significant challenges.
Recent developments contribute to renewed tension in the region. These are important issues of concern that we monitor closely and that we discuss and coordinate on with the Greek authorities, including at the highest levels. We have repeatedly raised and discussed these issues with our Turkish interlocutors. At the end of June, High Representative Vice-President Kallas visited Türkiye together with the Commissioners Kos and Brunner. They stressed the importance the EU attaches to these issues and collectively called on Türkiye to act with restraint, refrain from any unilateral action that would increase tensions and commit itself to good neighborly relations, international agreements and to the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes as enshrined in the UN Charter.
The European Council and the European Commission have a clear position on these matters. Türkiye must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU member states in accordance with EU and international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Türkiye's own constructive engagement is instrumental in this regard. Let me be clear: sustainable de-escalation in Greek-Turkish relations and overall in the Eastern Mediterranean are essential elements for regional stability and security and for the advancement of EU-Turkish relations in a phased, proportionate, and reversible manner as decided by the European Council. As you know, I was designated this summer as special representative of the Commission for the Cyprus issue.
In further deepening the EU-Türkiye cooperation, we attach particular importance to the resumption of the Cyprus settlement talks and Türkiye's constructive engagement in that regard. This is in the strategic interest of the EU and in line with the mandate we have from the European Council. We must not forget that the whole island of Cyprus is part of the EU and that Turkish Cypriots are EU citizens. Honorable member, it is our firm belief that any difference between Greece and Türkiye should be managed through good faith dialogue, restraint, and respect for international law and good neighborly relations in the spirit of the December 2023 Athens Declaration. To conclude, let me be abundantly clear: the EU remains committed to defending its interests and those of its member states as well as to upholding regional stability.
We will continue holding our ground, standing without doubt with Greece and Cyprus in these regards. Thank you.
05:57 - 06:11
Speaker 2
Thank you, Commissioner. Now we move to the first round of speakers on behalf of political groups, and we start by EPP, and we have colleague Vozemberg-Vrionidi for one minute and a half. Colleague, you have the floor.
06:11 - 06:53
Speaker 6
Thank you, Chair. Η σημερινή συζήτηση για τις τουρκικές προκλήσεις δεν είναι επανάληψη προηγούμενων. Η Τουρκία κλιμακώνει καθημερινά την προκλητική της συμπεριφορά απέναντι στην Ελλάδα με συνεχείς παραβιάσεις του εναέριου χώρου και ενέργειες που υπονομεύουν την ασφάλεια και τη σταθερότητα στην περιοχή. Το δεκαπενταύγουστο η Άγκυρα ανακοίνωσε την ίδρυση δύο παράνομων θαλάσσιων πάρκων σε διεθνή ύδατα και σε περιοχή εντός της ελληνικής υφαλοκρηπίδας. Προγραμματίζει άμεσα νομοθέτηση της γαλάζιας πατρίδας με αμφισβήτηση της ελληνικής κυριαρχίας σε 152 νησιά και βραχονησίδες στο Αιγαίο.