Energy at Sea:

New challenges over troubled waters

Professor Maria Gavouneli

Faculty of Law, University of Athens

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea
A multitude of sources

Oil and gas:

> Offshore installations

> Pipelines

Renewable sources of energy:

Windmills
Wave turbines >

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

Cables

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea
A multitude of concerns

Due regard to other uses of the seas:

Navigation: major trade routes

Fisheries: commercial and subsistence overfishing
Tourism: integrated coastal zone management
Prospecting: methane crystals

Sustainability:
Climate change considerations: a different mix?
Emissions management
National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea
A multitude of legal regimes
Law of the Sea
Investment: Transboundary cooperative projects
Protection of investors
Dispute avoidance techniques
Expedited settlement of dispute mechanisms

Environment:
Procedural obligations: EIA, SIA
Pollution: operational, accidental

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea
A multitude of applicable laws

International Law
Law of the Sea
BITs
Project-specific agreements

National laws
European Union law

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea
A multitude of tools

Jurisdictional issues: Lack of space in the Med

Continental shelf delimitation
Is an EEZ a necessary component?
A European EEZ?
Deep seabed?

Apportioning responsibility:
Operational agreements

Cooperation: a key concept

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea
Defining jurisdictional zones I:

Italy-Greece: Continental shelf delimitation agreement

(1977)
A possible extension to cover EEZ?

Slovenia-Croatia: Comprehensive delimitation

agreement arbitration in progress

Greece-Albania: Continental shelf delimitation

agreement? (2005)

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea
Defining jurisdictional zones II

The Cyprus agreements:

Agreement between the Republic of Cyprus and the Arab
Republic of Egypt on the Delimitation of the Exclusive
Economic Zone, 17 February 2003 (entry into force: 7 March
2004)
Agreement between the Government of the Republic of
Lebanon and the Government of the Cypriot Republic
Delimiting the Exclusive Economic Zone, 17 January 2007 (not
in force)
Agreement between the Government of the State of Israel and
the Government of the Republic of Cyprus on the Delimitation
of the Exclusive Economic Zone, signed in Nicosia on 17
December 2010 (entry into force: 25 February 2011)

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015

Energy at Sea

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

3 June 2015