Yesterday 25 and today 26 January, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) will be in the spotlight for two days full of major developments.

On January 25 and 26, Marine Spatial Planning (PSM) will be the focus of two days packed with major developments, with the launch of PSM Help Mechanism and Blue Forum the beginning of the three EU funded projects on MSP And a constitution Community of Practice on MSP in the Mediterranean .

Launch of the new MSP help mechanism and blue forum

On January 25 CINEA was launched New service contract for the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Assistance Mechanism and Blue Forum AndFor which 2.2 million euros have been allocated for a period of two years. It is led by a French consulting firm Européenne de Technologies et de Services application (AETR).The aim of the contract is to support the European Commission and EU Member States in implementing their MSP plans and operations.

Since 2015, the European Commission has funded expert services and support in marine spatial planning through an assistance mechanism, following the adoption of guidance MSPs. This assistance mechanism has developed an information and communication platform ( European MSP platform ) and provided support with a dedicated team of experts, studies, seminars and more.

The new contract will also facilitate dialogue between European blue economy communities and stakeholders through the creation of the “European Blue Forum”.

Launching three projects funded by the European Union in the field of MSP

Three new projects in marine spatial planning (MSP) Funded by the European Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, the call for proposals EMFAF-2021-PIA-MSP was launched on the afternoon of 25 January. The total budget is about 6 million euros. The three projects help EU member states address specific challenges they may face when implementing, monitoring and reviewing their marine spatial plans.

Soon EMFF projects on marine spatial planning

Regions to Enhance National Marine Spatial Planning (REGINA MSP) It aims to improve the participation of local and regional authorities and stakeholders in the development and implementation of national marine spatial planning. Regions are the main actors of interregional cooperation at the sea basin level.

will produce the project Eight regional case studies in two European marine basins (Atlantic and Mediterranean) to better assess how regions contribute to the national MSP. It will also explore how they can benefit from it and contribute, if necessary, to its mainstreaming at lower administrative levels and from a sea basin perspective.

The budget is €1,957,909.44

Marine spatial planning as an enabler of the European Green Deal (MSP-GREEN ) to support MSP’s plans to become true “maritime enablers” of the European Green Deal. The project makes suggestions for a better linkage to the EU Green Deal and the MSP Directive and to help revise MSP plans.

The Federation will collect practical examples (from the experience of participating countries) and prepare a set of guidelines on how to do this Strengthening the EU Green Deal component of MSP plans . It will also include regional maritime communities, including from third countries.

Budget: 1,933,490.03 euros

“Marine Spatial Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Review and Evaluation” (ReMAP ) aims to define marine spatial chart revision strategies. The project will focus specifically on developing data tools, models and operational infrastructure reuse, enabling interoperability and enabling Member States to share MSP data.

Performance monitoring and evaluation is critical to the successful implementation of marine spatial planning. However, the amount of critical issues that need to be considered and the huge amount of data that needs to be collected in the operational phase of the plans leads to very complex performance monitoring and evaluation.

Member states need Operational, efficient and economical tools To model and understand the effects of MSP and its effects on the environment, society and the economy. The project includes participants from the Baltic, Mediterranean and Atlantic seas.

The budget is €1,917,103.64

Launch of the Community of Practice on the MSP for the Mediterranean

On January 26, CINEA with DG MARE will be released Community of practice on marine spatial planning for the Mediterranean .It is a group of volunteer experts from EU and non-EU countries working on the MSP. There is an increasing need for structured and ongoing dialogue within the MSP community at the marine basin and sub-basin level.

While the main implementation processes take place at the national level, the cross-border dimension of the health insurance plan is necessary to ensure consistency and effectiveness as well as to address common challenges. Four numerous international cooperation initiatives recognize the critical role of marine spatial planning in the sustainable blue economy in the Mediterranean and provide indications for the “Mediterranean Agenda for Mediterranean Planning”.

Therefore, the European Commission supported the creation of a new initiative for Strengthening the community of MSP experts in the Mediterranean region Through the Community of Practice, first presented during the WestMed Hackathon in Malta in June 2022.

Marine spatial planning context

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) aims to support effective management of marine resources and sustainable development. To this end, DG MARE, in close cooperation with CINEA, has supported MSP implementation through a number of projects Since 2014, the European Marine and Fisheries Fund (now the European Marine and Fisheries Fund). EMFAF extensionSearch for) has allocated approximately 32 million euros to support MIP Member States through 7 calls for project proposals. 18 PSM Project It has been implemented throughout the European Union, including the external regions.

there MSP directive It took effect in September 2014 and established a set of minimum common requirements. It represents a comprehensive governance framework for EU member states, which are required to adopt spatial marine plans by 2021 in all EU maritime waters. Marine spatial planning contributes to the good ecological situation you have created Directive 2008/56/EC

Among the requirements, member states are encouraged to cooperate with neighboring countries to Ensure adequate plans throughout the respective maritime area and cooperate, where possible, with the authorities of third countries. In addition, they are encouraged to use existing tools and tools to organize the use of the best ones data Available, essential for drawing up marine spatial plans.

Source: European Climate Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency