Full Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions News
2019
January
The PANACeA initiative, as part of their work to mainstream the efforts of the Interreg Med Biodiversity Protection Community, presented the Declaration on Ecosystem-based approaches for biodiversity protection and management in the Mediterranean, in December at the EU Parliament in Brussels, in collaboration with the Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas Intergroup (SEARICA). The Declaration summarises state-of-the-art knowledge compiled from 11 thematic projects and 200 partner organisations concerning threats and pressures in the Mediterranean and highlights a series of principles to guide future joint actions towards more effective and transnational management of key ecological assets that are grounded on a holistic and ecosystem based approach.
The signature of the Declaration will take place during the final PANACeA Conference in Malaga in October 2019. Signatures from Declaration supporters can be submitted by sending an email to panacea-med@uma.es and join their community and its collective message.
The European Strategy for more Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime Tourism is celebrating its 5th anniversary since the adoption of its Communication in February 2014. The Strategy sets out several priority areas and lists 14 actions to overcome gaps in skills, seasonality, enviornmental pressures, route to funding and other shortcomings, in otder to stimulate the sector's performance and competitiveness.
It provides a framework for the development of coastal and maritime tourism within Europe, focusing on four priority areas to: 1) stimulating performance and competitiveness; 2) promoting skills and innovation; 3) strengthening sustainability; 4) maximising available EU funding. In addition to the 14 actions included in the strategy, an additional 24 actions were expected from local and regional authorities in the Member States, as well as from the private sector operating in the coastal and maritime domain. The European Commission has now launched a survey to take stock of these efforts and to consider accomplishments, progress and obstacles. The survey is open until the end of January 2019 and the results will feed into an implementation report which is expected in 2019.
More about Coastal and Maritime Tourism in relation to Maritime Spatial Planning
December
In early 2019 the UK Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will be engaging on the Iteration 3 outputs for marine planning in the north west, north east, south west and south east.
This will provide the ideal opportunity for you to check progress towards the development of the plans. The engagement on Iteration 3 outputs will focus on:
- preferred draft policies;
- draft supporting text for policies including on implementation; and
- the next steps in marine planning.
The engagement period will take place between Monday 21 January 2019 and Friday 29 March 2019. It will include workshops, in each of the four marine plan areas supported by online engagement.
The early opening of the online engagement in January will give you an opportunity to look at the materials for engagement prior to the workshops or provide your feedback online if you are unable to attend our events.
To find a suitable workshop and to register: click on the links below.
NB: The workshops are full day events with lunch and refreshments provided. The workshops will all follow a similar structure, but with the main content (preferred draft policies and supporting text) being varied between marine plan areas. You are advised to register as soon as possible to guarantee your place. All workshops will run from 9.30am-4.00pm.
North east Newcastle Copthorne Hotel 29/01/19
North east Redcar Tuned In! 30/01/19
South west Newquay Sands Resort 05/02/19
South west Totnes Dartington Hall 06/02/19
South west Taunton Taunton Racecourse 07/02/19
South east Chelmsford County Hotel 12/02/19
South east Chatham George Hotel 13/02/19
North west Carlisle Tullie House 27/02/19
North west New Brighton Floral Pavilion 28/02/19
To find out more please visit: https://www.gov.uk/topic/planning-development/marine-planning or contact planning@marinemanagement.org.uk.
2018
December
The Northern Ireland Marine Task Force (NIMTF), a coalition of non-government environmental organisations has responded to the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government’s consultation on the National Marine Planning Framework Baseline Report. The consultation response specifically focused on question 7 of the consultation: ‘What measures do you think should be put in place to support optimal transboundary (including cross-border with Northern Ireland and with other parts of the UK) cooperation on marine planning?
NIMTF noted “transboundary cooperation is a critical component of Marine Spatial Planning” and highlighted that where these had not been previously taken into consideration sufficiently for example in the cases of the transboundary loughs (Carlingford and Foyle) this has led to environmental vulnerabilities. The use of existing cooperation mechanisms (both legislation and institutional structures) is important and by doing so, duplication of effort is minimised and momentum built upon. NIMTF suggested Legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the OSPAR Commission, transboundary stakeholder groups such as the Irish Seas Maritime Forum. They also stated that existing mechanisms for specifically relating to cooperation on the island of Ireland developed under the Good Friday Agreement such as the British – Irish Council and the North – South Ministerial Council should be utilised. The full response from the NIMTF can be accessed here.
Many items have been added to the EU MSP Platform website in the month of December, take a look below! The news overview for November can be found here.
Projects
ICZM Plans for Sustaining Coastal and Marine Human-ecological Networks in the Baltic Region
Practices
MUSES Multi-Use in European Seas Case Studies
SIMWESTMED MSP-oriented Initial Assessment Report
Tackling challenges for Mediterranean sustainable coastal tourism: An ecosystem service perspective
Integration of fisheries into marine spatial planning: quo vadis?
Guidance on sustainable aquaculture activities in the context of the Natura 2000 Network
News
Echopolis conference: Nature and culture-based strategies and solutions for cities and territories
Update of Spanish Country Information Profile
Updates on Finnish MSP processes
Initial outline for the Estonian MSP now available
Swedish consultation completed // Great interest in Sweden’s MSP
Funding
Thanks to the collaboration of all the Partners and Member States involved in the SIMWESTMED Project, the Report related to the sub-task “Develop a basin-scale analysis/initial assessment strongly MSP orientated”, is completed.
The Report established by CORILA, collects and describes all the relevant information related to the project marine area, Western Mediterranean, about the main aspects that have to be considered in the MSP context. Starting from the national jurisdictions and the state of the implementation of MSP processes at country level, the Report describes the main aspects in terms of physical characteristics of the area and the marine environment by considering the representative habitats and species of the West Med. All the major maritime uses and activities present in the area are described in their socio-economic aspects. The conflicts and synergies among uses, and uses and environment, are listed and described to ensure the adoption of the Ecosystem-based approach. The Report ends with the relevant trans-boundary issues identified by the different partners in order to favour the beginning of cross-border collaboration in the West Med.
The Initial Assessment report is available here:
The European Commission and the Co-Presidency of the Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean organised the “Stakeholder conference: Towards concrete ‘blue’ actions in the western Mediterranean”, on Monday 3 December 2018 in Algiers, Algeria.
The conference aimed to facilitate the exchange of project ideas and to promote concrete project development among stakeholders in the region operating in the maritime sector (businesses, researchers, institutes, national and local authorities belonging to the western Mediterranean Countries). Project ideas, concrete proposals and potential partnerships were discussed amongst the more than 280 attendants to the event at the working Labs that were organized. A number of financing sources were also discussed as concrete opportunities to move forward with those project ideas and The West Med Assistance Mechanism is now following up with participants and other interested stakeholders to further assess and support the project ideas with greater innovation potential.
Please consult the WestMed Initiative webpage (http://www.westmed-initiative.eu/) for updated information.
The Country Information Profile for Spain now includes the latest developments regarding the progress on MSP. Currently, the Ministry of Ecological Transition (MITECO) is the authority for the coast and the marine environment as well as for biodiversity, while the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is the authority for the fisheries sector. Spain does currently not yet have a MSP at the national level. However, it is already actively working towards European deadlines through the work carried out by the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Marine Strategies (Comisión Interministerial de Estrategias Marinas - CIEM) and its Working Group for the Ordination of the Maritime Space (Grupo de Trabajo de Ordenación del Espacio Marítimo – GT-OEM), which is currently coordinating the tasks for creating the ordination plans (Planes de Ordenación del Espacio Marítimo- POEM).
The Echopolis conference took place on 26-28 November 2018 in Athens. The aim of the event was to draw attention to natural and cultural heritage as a defining element of 'place identity'. Both types of heritage bring communities together and builds shared understandings of the places we live in. Since 2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage, events are planned all over Europe to encourage people to discover and engage with Europe’s cultural and natural attractions, so as to enhance our sense of a European belonging. This means that natural and cultural heritage should be recognized, understood, planned and managed together.
At the same time, it may enhance the efficiency of place-based policies. To meet these expectations also in the framework of planning, MSP processes need high quality spatial data on both the natural and cultural values of sea areas and on the existing human uses and pressures. Moreover, there is a need to understand the intrinsic spatial relationships of the patterns of cultural and natural values and human uses in order to deliver well-informed planning solutions. The Interreg BalticRIM project is dealing with these topics and has compiled a spatial database of underwater marine cultural heritage data (wrecks), data of marine nature values (biodiversity, key species), abiotic environmental data (depth, wave exposure etc.), human uses and pressures data (Baltic Sea Pressure Index, shipping intensity, hydro-morphological alterations etc.) for some parts of the Baltic Sea. During one of the conference sessions, partners from the BalticRIM project representing the archaeological side (State Archaeology Department of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany; Finnish Heritage Agency and Estonian Heritage Board) as well as from the planners side (s.Pro, Germany, and University of Tartu, Estonia) presented further aspects of their work on innovative management for Maritime Cultural Heritage and how to promote MCH within national MSP.
The status report of the Finnish maritime blue economy is completed. It is one part of the planning evidence for Finnish MSP´s. According to the study, Finland has the greatest offshore wind power potential in the Baltic Sea region, but only one offshore wind power farm in production so far. MSP´s can promote establishing maritime wind energy and so foster achieving global climate goals.
A research project BlueAdapt - Enhancing Adaptive Capacity for Sustainable Blue Growth financed by the the Academy of Finland has started. BlueAdapt project supports MSP by developing innovative means for supporting sustainable blue growth in food production, energy production and tourism.
https://blueadapt.fi/en/project-info/
Future scenarios for the Finnish maritime area will be developed in 2019. Scenarios will facilitate the dialogue with stakeholders and help in creating visions and targets for the development of MSP´s. Scenarios will be drafted in cooperation with the Capful Ltd.
Many EU co-financed projects support Finnish maritime spatial planning. In Pan Baltic SCOPE, stakeholders’ involvement into the planning process is enforced and a cross-border case study between Finland, the Åland Islands and Sweden, FI-AX-SE –case, will be carried out. Plan4Blue is a MSP cooperation project between Finland and Estonia. It facilitates cooperation between planners and scientists and provides also future scenarios for the Gulf of Finland sea area.
Many developments are currently on-going that are relevant for the MSP process in Finland. The status report of the finnish maritime economy has now been completed and the research project BlueAdapt has started, which will look at how to enhance adaptive capacity for sustainable Blue Growth in Finland. 2019 will see the development of scenarios for the Finnish maritime space. In Pan Baltic Scope, a cross-border case study between Finland, the Åland islands and Sweden will be undertaken.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) would like to invite you to participate in voluntary surveys to help us gather information about use of the East Marine Plans and South Marine Plan. They request your participation by clicking the links below to access either or both of the surveys then completing and submitting by Friday 25th January 2019.
- East Marine Plans Monitoring Survey: https://defragroup.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6tJ4drKqiA7WxPT
- South Marine Plan Monitoring Survey: https://defragroup.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9sLIkxQFbmcFEtn
These surveys are part of marine plan monitoring for the East and South Marine Plan Areas as set out in the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009) Section 61.
The MMO’s monitoring activity, including information gathered through surveys, is used to inform a three-yearly report to Parliament on the effects of policies in the marine plans, the effectiveness of these policies in securing plan objectives, and the progress towards achieving any objectives set out for that region in a marine plan and the Marine Policy Statement.
If you have any queries or would like to discuss any aspects of this survey or marine planning, please contact MMO's Marine Planning Officers:
East:
Amy Balding: amy.balding@marinemanagement.org.uk, based at the MMO Beverley office
Eleanor Johnston: eleanor.johnston@marinemanagement.org.uk, based at the MMO Lowestoft office
South:
Mathilda Evans: mathilda.evans@marinemanagement.org.uk, based at the MMO Shoreham office
Abby Haines: abby.haines@marinemanagement.org.uk, based at the MMO Poole office
As part of MMO's marine plan monitoring work, it will also be conducting some follow-up interviews with stakeholders. If you would be willing to participate, please state this in response to the relevant question at the end of either or both of the surveys.
The consultation on proposed marine spatial plans for Sweden is completed.
'Many thanks to everyone who participated in the consultation, we value the time and effort you spent on this', says head of unit Thomas Johansson at the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.
Earlier this year Sweden consulted on proposed marine spatial plans for Sweden, the strategic environmental assessment and the sustainability appraisal. The international consultation took place from June to October. The consultation was extensive. More than 160 organizations have expressed their views – public bodies, non-profit organizations and industry alike, ranging from municipalities, regions, national authorities and coastal county administrative boards to trade associations, companies, universities, individuals and neighbouring states.
The top three topics in terms of comments were nature, energy and attractive living environments. The most opposite views remain on offshore wind and nature. The plan system received good critiques in general. An intensive work is now underway at the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management in analyzing each opinion. The opinions are an important basis for further work on the marine spatial plans.
Next step – review in March
SwAM will publish revised proposals for plans in spring 2019, along with a consultation report. The final proposals are to be submitted to the government during December 2019.
Find more numbers and info at https://www.havochvatten.se/hav/samordning--fakta/havsplanering/havsplan... (in Swedish).
The MSP Platform organised a webinar series on the MSP for Blue Growth Study.
The 2018 study gives information on how maritime spatial planning (MSP) can assist Member States to foster the potential for sustainable Blue Growth. Maritime spatial planning represents a key instrument for Blue Growth and can contribute to the aim of giving a boost to economic growth on the basis of a new maritime paradigm founded in sustainability, innovation, competitiveness and knowledge. The MSP for Blue Growth study explores the multi-faceted relationship between the two evolving concepts and provides practical, implementation-oriented outputs. The study was developed by the EU MSP Platform consortium for the European Commission, as part of their services to assist EU Member States with implementation of the EU MSP Directive (2014/89/EU).
Each webinar in this series introduced participants to one of the three study components, and presenters answered questions from participants. The topics were:
- Handbook on for developing Visions in MSP (7 November 2018 at 16:00 CET)
- Sector fiches for nine maritime sectors (21 November 2018 at 16:00 CET)
- Handbook for developing MSP Indicators (5 December 2018 at 16:00 CET)
Further details and a recording of each webinar is available below.
Developing Visions in MSP: an Introduction to the Handbook
Webinar: 7 November 2018, 16:00 CET
The purpose of the Visions Handbook is to assist planners in developing a maritime vision or a strategy, as well as assisting those who wish to prepare the terms of reference for facilitating a vision process. The handbook provides quick and easy access to relevant tools and methods, building on lessons learnt from vision development processes across Europe. It indicates a range of possibilities for working with visions, showcasing options and ideas, rather than being prescriptive.
The presentation covered different tools and methods that can be used for developing a vision, different formats a vision making process could result in, and discuss usefulness of such processes and their outputs for MSP. The presentation answered some practical questions including:
• How to conduct background research for the vision development process, including analysis of the existing policy context and future trends in maritime sectors?
• When is it useful to develop scenarios or forecasts and how can they be developed?
• What are the benefits of involving stakeholders and what are some useful interactive methods that can be used in different stages of the process?
• How to best communicate the vision as to foster ownership and commitment?
• What additional literature sources and examples can aid future vision development process?
The Visions Handbook can be found here on the EU MSP Platform website: https://www.msp-platform.eu/faq/msp-visions
A recording of this webinar is now available:
Investigating Current and Future Spatial Demands of Key Maritime Sectors
Webinar: 21 November 2018 at 16:00 CET
The sector fiches deal mainly with the MSP dimension in the expected evolution of the analysed sectors, putting the focus on investigating current and future potential spatial demands of the sectors. At the same time, the fiches look at the interaction that exists among sectors, and offer a set of concrete recommendations to inform MSP processes. Finally, the fiches aim at being a solid first information source listing the most relevant actors, initiatives, and available literature in the sector in question.
The presentation covered the following topics:
• What are the present spatial needs of each sector?
• Which anticipated future developments of each sector are relevant to MSP?
• What recommendations can be made to support the sectors in MSP processes?
Sector fiches can be found on the EU MSP Platform website at: https://www.msp-platform.eu/sectors#
A recording of this webinar is now available:
Developing Indicators for MSP: an Introduction to the Handbook
Webinar: 5 December at 16:00 CET
The Indicators Handbook presents a step-by-step approach to developing MSP indicators. In particular, the Handbook aims to provide the maritime spatial planning community with suggestions on the use of spatial indicators that could support the consideration of Blue Growth in MSP processes. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions for MSP and related indicator development, which is why the Handbook offers a flexible approach with examples of possible indicators that need to be customised to the local contexts.
The presentation covered the following topics:
• How to define SMART objectives?
• Making the links between objectives and indicators
• Identification of sources of information
• How to define baselines?
• How to define target values, while considering external factors and assumptions
The Indicators Handbook can be found on the EU MSP Platform website at: https://www.msp-platform.eu/faq/indicators-monitoring-and-evaluation
A recording of the webinar is now available:
The English version of the initial outline for the Estonian MSP and the memorandum of intention to conduct impact assessment is now available. The document will also be shared with Baltic Sea countries for their information.
More information about MSP in Estonia can be found on the Estonia country page.
November
The Valletta Declaration represents a call for a transnational cooperation for implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in the deep Mediterranean Basin. The declaration is one of main outcomes of the IDEM workshop “First assessment of the deep Mediterranean environmental status”, held at University of Malta’s Valletta Campus, on 5-7 September 2018. Following a round-table discussion, participants call on the Mediterranean EU Member States and all the Contracting Parties of the Barcelona Convention, the European Commission and Parliament to support the following actions:
- A transnational cooperation to build synergies in research efforts, mostly when it comes to less explored southern parts of the Mediterranean basin, and especially its high seas and deep-sea regions;
- Building capacity and standardisation of future data collected, highlighting the need for developing a wide and standardized monitoring strategy for the Mediterranean deep sea;
- The need for a holistic approach across the entire Mediterranean Sea, to define criteria for high-seas and deep-sea Marine Protected Areas and to collaborate with non-EU States, especially the southern and middle-eastern Mediterranean countries.
The scientists working on the MSFD in the Mediterranean Basin present in Malta emphasized that this is not only an opportunity to render the implementation of the EU-MSFD in the Mediterranean area more efficient, but a real and impelling necessity, since Mediterranean marine ecosystems are tightly connected, do not follow political boundaries, and are experiencing unprecedented changes in their structure and functioning.
You are invited to sign the Valletta Declaration in the name of your project, organisations or institution by writing to idemproject@sm.univpm.it
The ministers for foreign affairs of Poland and Denmark met in Brussels on 19 November to sign an Agreement concerning the delimitation of maritime zones in the Baltic Sea. This means that there is now no longer 'grey zone'.
The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Anders Samuelsen:
“I am very pleased with today’s historic signing of the treaty on maritime delimitation between Poland and Denmark. We have now closed the negotiations that were started more than 40 years ago and taken the first step in formalizing the agreement. This is great news indeed and shows our common commitment to solve difficult issues through negotiations.”
The Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jacek Czaputowicz:
“Today’s signing ceremony marks an important day in our bilateral relations. It signifies that with commitment, mutual trust and respect it is possible to successfully end even longstanding disputes. I strongly believe that both countries will conclude as soon as possible their internal procedures necessary for the Agreement to enter into force.“
The treaty will be subject to respective internal procedures in both countries necessary to bring the Agreement into force.
The disputed zone in the Baltic Sea between Poland and Denmark
More information
Source: https://www.polska2041.pl/energia/news-jak-polska-i-dania-podzielily-kaw...
Always wanted to know more about the #MSPChallenge? The Scottish Government has developed a YouTube video explaning how the software is used in the #NorthSEE project to visualise and stimulate discussions on how MSP could contribute to OWE developments in the North Sea. A written event report is also available here: https://www.scotland.org/business/conferences-and-meetings/legends/marin...
PANACeA - 'Streamlining management efforts in Protected Areas for an enhanced Protection in the Mediterranean Sea' is organising a side-event to the Convention on Biodiversity Conference of the Parties in Egypt on 27 November 2018. The event, ''Ecosystem-based approaches to managing transboundary and cumulative impacts in the Mediterranean with a special focus on marine plastic litter and climate change”, will present methods and processes that are scientifically and politically relevant to better implement EBM in the Mediterranean. The project is also organising a workshop on "Ecosystem based approach: benefits for people and nature" and public hearing ''Mediterranean ecosystems in danger: Enhancing EU policy response'', in Brussels on 4 and 5 December 2018.
More about the Convention on Biodiversity side event 27 November 2018
More about the workshop and public hearing 4-5 December 2018
October
The International Workshop on Maritime Spatial Planning, organized by the Marine Sciences and Environmental Faculty of the University of Cadiz, will be held at 29-30 of October of 2018, in Cádiz - Spain.
The Workshop aims to address the most relevant and interesting issues regarding the application of the Directive 2014/89/EU on Marine Spatial Planning. To do this, the experiences of Spain and Portugal will be analyzed, generating a high-level debate and an exchange of knowledge and experiences on the subject.
With a wide representation of experts (political profile managers, technicians, academics and experts), the marine management will be approached from different perspectives: from the international scale (for this there will be a representative of the United Nations), passing through the national (through a representative of the competent Spanish Ministry), to the regional experience of the archipelagos of Macaronesia in marine management (with the collaboration of the MarSP project). Finally, the application of the concepts acquired on marine spatial planning at different scales will be applied in a practical way in the Gulf of Cádiz.
Each day the Seminar will be followed by a practical participatory exercise (90 minutes) where the potential problems and solutions that may arise from having a maritime spatial planning at the Gulf of Cadiz will be discussed.
The event is organized by Dr. Javier García Sanabria and the entry to the event is free. The event will run entirely in Spanish language. After completion a certificate will be issued to attendants. University and PhD credits are acknowledged after completion of the Seminar.
Registry (until filling all 70 spaces available) can be done through sending an email to indess@uca.es stating the following details:
- Name and Surname
- Name of your institution/business
- If student, name of the master/undergrad program/ PhD program
- Email and phone number (optional)
- National Identity Number / Passport Number (for the certificate)
More info at http://marsp.eu/news/7
Good news! The EMFF MSP Call for Proposals budget has been increased to 3 million euros AND the deadline has been extended until 14 December 2018. Please note that the address for submissions has also been updated. More information: https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/maritime-spatial-planning-msp-projects
View a description of the funding opportunity here.
Many new items have been added to the EU MSP Platform website in the month of September! Below is a brief overview. You should also subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter - do so here.
Practices
Using Automatic Identification System (AIS) for MSP
Marine Licensing and Cultural Heritage, England
Improving the co-existence of Offshore Energy Installations & Shipping
FAQs
Marine Cultural Heritage (MCH) and MSP
Projects
Submarine Archaeological Heritage of the Western Black Sea Shelf
Western Black Sea Underwater Cultural Touristic Routes
News
SmartSea Gulf of Bothnia conference - presentations available
22 new sustainable blue projects receive EU funding
Workshop MSP for Islands - Presentations and photos available!
MSP for Blue Growth Webinar Series
Help rename the Virtual Knowledge Center on Blue Economy!
Interim evaluation of direct management part of the EMFF
Call for applications Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries
22 new sustainable blue projects receive EU funding
EC Report report on the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
Irish MSP authority publishes National MSP Framework Baseline Report
Got side-tracked this month? Check out this overview of the new items that were added to the website in October. Make sure to subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter as well to stay in the loop of all MSP developments, news items and events: click here.
Practices
Tiree Onshore Scenario Mapping for the proposed Argyll Array Offshore Windfarm
Land Sea Interactions in Maritime Spatial Planning
Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC)
South Inshore and South Offshore Marine Plans (England)
Funding
2nd Call for Project Platforms Interreg Baltic
Polish tender for elaborating MSP and EIA for ports
News
Save the Date: Connecting Seas NorthSEE - Baltic LINes MSP Conference
Ireland’s National Marine Planning Framework Baseline Report
MUSES Final Conference & Presentation of the Multi-Use Action Plan
Other
The EU MSP Platform developed a policy brief on the topic of implementing the Ecosystem-Based Approach in MSP. The brief provides a detailed overview of EBA in relevant EU legislation, including the relationship between the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the MSP Directive; discussion of the challenges and potential solutions for integrating EBA and MSP; and examples of existing tools for integrating the two. The policy brief can be downloaded here:
Further information on EBA can be be found on the FAQ page: Ecosystem-based Approach
The Polish MSP authority has launched a call for tenders on the topic of 'Elaboration of maritime spatial plans and environmental impact assessments for the port waters of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Władysławowa and Hel'. The value of the tender is 483 414.64 PLN excluding VAT. The award criteria include the following weighing:
- Quality guarantee - 20%
- Experience of contractor in spatial planning - 20%
- Price - 60%
Tenders can be submitted by any EU entity that is not excluded from EU tenders and has special skills and experience in spatial planning. They may be submitted seperately for each port. The time for plan eloboration is 28 months. Submitted tenders will be opened by the Maritime Office in Gdynia on 14 November 2018 at 10:00.
It has also been announced that the work on the elaboration of maritime spatial plans for internal sea waters of the ports of Darłowo, Kołobrzeg and Dźwirzyno has been started. The ports are in the area of competence of the Director of the Maritime Office in Słups. The agreement for the performance of this task was signed on October 5, 2018.
Link to detailed information (only in Polish): http://www.umgdy.gov.pl/?p=26052
The MUSES Final Conference took place on 10th October 2018 at Crowne Plaza Le Palace in Brussels. The main aim of the conference was to disseminate project results and discuss the way forward for multi-use in European Seas. It brought together about 96 stakeholders and project experts from the business community, public administrations and academia. The conference was designed to encourage discussions and potential partnerships that would support the implementation of the action plan and advance the development of the multi-use concept across the EU.
The conference was divided into three main sessions which started off with the MUSES partners presenting their outputs mainly at case study and sea basin level. This was followed by presentations by stakeholders who shared their experiences and discussed multiuse under two different sessions: Tourism related multiuse and Energy related multiuse. The conference also provided a platform to discuss the EU-wide MUSES Multi-Use Action Plan which sets out the various actions that can be taken at different levels including legislation, maritime spatial planning, dissemination and marketing, funding, capacity building and research to promote multi-use in European Seas. The major output here was for stakeholders to discuss the enablers for these actions and to prioritise them according to the level of impact and efforts involved for its implementation.
The closing panel discussion involved high level representatives from DG-MARE, DG Research, Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre – PAP/RAC, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – RBINS and industrial representative from Equinor. The session focused on the next steps for multi-uses and how institutions can take up actions and advance multi-use. After the closing of the MUSES Project Final Conference, the SOMOS (Safe production Of Marine plants and use of Ocean Space) Project hosted a celebratory closing reception aimed at disseminating their project results, informal discussions on multi-use and networking.
The EU MSP Platform has developed guidance to help website visitors navigate the diverse resources available. The User Guidance provides tips for finding information, organised around six scenarios. The PDF version of the guidance provides links to the various webpages mentioned.
First time visitors to the EU MSP Platform website are encouraged to review this guidance to help find the exact information they are looking for. Specific user guidance for the Projects and Practices Databases is also available.
ICES organised 18 theme sessions during its annual conference on 24-27 September 2018. One of the sessions focused on the MSP visions and indicators. The participants list has been published, session abstracts and posters are available here and the keynote speeches can be viewed here. The presentations will become available soon. Participants came from all over Europe as well as the US and Australia meaning that there was a lot of exchange on the differences between MSP approaches used across the world.
The last interactive session focused on improvements of the ICES MSP working group and suggestions for future research steps. Main issues discussed included:
- MSP is still defined and applied in different ways across the world
- Understanding of MSP and approaches to its implementation and relation to the EBM are quite diverse.
- A common glossary is needed as to be able to continue any discussions
- The inclusion of fisheries in MSP
- Monitoring
- Links between MSP and the MSFD
A report will be published in the coming months.
On 28 September 2018 the Priority Action Programme, Regional Activity Centre (PAP-RAC) of UNEP-MAP organised the Regional Consultation on the Common Regional Framework for ICZM, involving UNEP-MAP and PAP-RCA national focal points (NFPs). The participants discussed the structure and contents of the document “Common Regional Framework for Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Mediterranean”, also including MSP and LSI issues. The meeting included a wide discussion on the advanced draft version of the document “Common Regional Framework for Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Mediterranean”.
The Common Regional Framework on ICZM specifically includes a section on MSP, which frames how the MSP shall be embedded into the Barcelona Convention system and specifically the ICZM Protocol. The Common Regional Framework is expected to be approved by the next UNEP-MAP Conference of the Parties to be held in December 2019. This work involves NFPs of all Mediterranean countries including MSs: Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and Cyprus.
PADDLE organised a summer school from 3 to 7 September 2018 in Brest, France. The one-week training and capacity-building interdisciplinary session on tropical MSP brought together PhD students and researchers from Europe and countries bordering the tropical Atlantic. The programme is available here. It aimed at providing early researchers a comprehensive toolbox to address some of the challenges the world's largest ecosystem faces through MSP. General lectures were given by international experts in the field of MSP and disciplines offering tools for informed decision-making (e.g. GIS, accoustic, population modelling). Lessons learnt were immediately tested in action, through the MSP Challenge. There were presentations on the SIMCelt project, power and participation in MSP, marine governance, land se interactions, artisinal fisheries, among many other topics. The presentations are freely available via this link.
More info and material here.