PRESS RELEASE (PDF)
Amorgos, October 7, 2025
On Sunday, October 5, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans K. Kadis, members of the Cabinet, and high-ranking government officials visited Amorgos. The purpose of their visit was to honor the fishers and partners of the AMORGORAMA initiative and to send a message of encouragement for other fishing communities in the Cyclades to follow the same path.
The honorary event took place at Aegiali Port and included brief addresses from the Minister of Rural Development and Food, K. Tsiaras; the Minister of Environment and Energy, S. Papastavrou; and the Mayor of Amorgos, E. Karaiskos. The Minister of Environment and Energy was accompanied by the Secretary General for Natural Environment and Water, P. Varelidis, as well as the President and CEO of the Hellenic Organization for Natural Environment and Climate Change (OFEKA), M. Papadopoulou and K. Triantis. Additional attendees included the Alternate Minister of Sports, Giannis Vroutsis; Members of Parliament for the Cyclades; members of the Board of the Amorgos Professional Fishermen’s Association “CHOZOVIOTISSA”; and many members of the local island community.
The event was presented by A. Mitropoulou, Executive Director of the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF), a partner in the AMORGORAMA initiative. She emphasized the great honor and high symbolic value of the first visit by a sitting Prime Minister to Amorgos. She called it a historic day for the island and its fishing community, highlighting the collaborative nature of the initiative as a key element for its success and the basis for a sustainable future for Greek seas and coastal communities.
In the same spirit, representing the Agricultural University of Athens, another partner in the initiative, Assistant Professor Dr. S. Kalogirou noted: “AMORGORAMA is a brilliant example of a collective effort and the application of the quadruple helix model, where science, civil society, the fishing sector, and the state cooperate with a common goal: the sustainable management of marine resources.”
Highlighting AMORGORAMA as an example of Greece’s emerging leadership in marine protection at a European level, Commissioner K. Kadis stated: “The European Commission has decided to highlight and promote such good practices, to present them as models—and within this set of exemplary initiatives at the European level, AMORGORAMA will hold a prominent position.” He also added that the state-of-the-art vessel of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), OCEAN SENTINEL, will soon arrive on the island to assist in the surveillance of Amorgos’ Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) in cooperation with the relevant Greek authorities.
This was followed by a discussion with the participation of the Greek Prime Minister and two representatives from the Amorgos Professional Fishermen’s Association “I CHOZOVIOTISSA,” the creators of the AMORGORAMA initiative, represented by President M. Krosman and Secretary G. Psakis. The discussion was moderated by A. Lazou Dean, Head of Marine Programs for the Blue Marine Foundation in Greece, a partner in the AMORGORAMA initiative. “You have already embraced AMORGORAMA, but today you are also sending the message that you are here for the next steps,” she noted, highlighting the elements of cooperation, shared responsibility, and the government’s commitment to the successful management of Amorgos’ FRAs. She also brought up issues of area surveillance, broader challenges, and the opportunities opening up for the island and other fishing communities across the country.
For his part, the Greek Prime Minister praised the initiative as a model of intersectoral cooperation and underscored its potential as a “roadmap” for Greece’s fishing communities.
“I truly want to express my admiration for the fact that AMORGORAMA was initiated by the local fishers themselves, who recognized the problem and moved forward to propose a decisive solution to environmental organizations, the scientific community, and the state,” the Prime Minister said. “For me, AMORGORAMA is just the beginning and a model that can be expanded to many more islands and coastal areas. What I want to achieve—and where I ask for the cooperation of environmental organizations—is to create at least 10 more initiatives, like AMORGORAMA, within a reasonable timeframe.”
For G. Psakis, the progress made through the initiative represents a hard-won first step—a step that he hopes will pave an easier way for other Greek fishing communities that want to follow. “We have spent our whole lives at sea,” he noted. “The bureaucracy must be lighter. No one will start a new AMORGORAMA if the process isn’t faster. It can’t take 8 or 10 years—no fishermen’s association can endure that. It’s very important.”
The Prime Minister responded by pledging to accelerate future proposals from fishers for Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs): “The instructions I have given to the relevant ministries are absolutely clear: the next AMORGORAMA will not take 8 years—it will take 8 months. So, you have my personal commitment: find the fishing associations, and leave the rest to us. And if we fail, come and hold us accountable.”
“The fishers should participate in the Fisheries Council of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food; they have great experience and can be part of the solution,” said M. Krosman, President of the Fishermen’s Association, in his final remarks. He also called on all fishers to take two steps back to support collectivities for the common interest of the sea.
That same evening, at the Katapola Botanical Park, the local community of Amorgos and the partners of the AMORGORAMA initiative, in the presence of the Mayor of Amorgos, gathered for a special screening of the documentary “Ocean with David Attenborough”, as well as the first screening of a short film created for AMORGORAMA. The film, produced by Revive Our Ocean, was an event organized by CPF as the lead for the new Revive Our Ocean initiative in Greece, represented by its founder K. Rechberger and the founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas, explorer Dr. E. Sala.
For more information:
Eleni Fistikaki | Media Relations CPF/ Amorgorama
Tel +30 6978152977 | [email protected]
Find a short video from the event and photos here.
Watch the entire event in Greek here.