The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a significant tool for the exercise of economic and, subsequently, national policy, which concerns every state with maritime borders. Theodoros Kariotis was a pioneer in highlighting the importance of the EEZ for the Law of the Sea, especially for Greece. The author managed to introduce this new concept into public discussion, as is the case with this current publication.

Unfortunately, the persistent efforts to encourage political leaders to take action, efforts that began during the administrations of Andreas Papandreou, in which many others participated, did not bear fruit. It is noteworthy that the Republic of Cyprus designated its own EEZ as early as 2004, gaining "points" in the current international searches for hydrocarbons. The same initiative to define their national EEZ has already been undertaken by 138 coastal states.

The determination and declaration of the Greek EEZ is a crucial issue regarding the control of Turkey's aggression, which has continued for decades in the Aegean and the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean. In this analysis, a central role is played by the "war" with the maps of various EEZs, which support in this current SMALL INTRODUCTION the well-documented presentation of the concept and history of the Exclusive Economic Zone that concerns us so much.

The SMALL INTRODUCTIONS series includes reference books written by experts, which provide valid and in-depth information on topics of immediate interest. Simple yet not oversimplified, scientific yet not inaccessible, brief yet complete, the series offers the modern reader the keys to understand deeply the complex and changing world we live in. The series is directed by Babis Papadimitriou.