SIMWESTMED focused on two key objectives:

• Supporting the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in EU Member States;
• Launching and carry out concrete and cross-border MSP initiatives between Member States.

To address these objectives the activities undertaken focused on the following issues:

• Initial assessment
• Cooperation on MSP in Western Mediterranean
• MSP process
• Methodology for a transboundary MSP
• Spatial demands and future trends
• Data and information’s requirements for MSP.
• Tools and methods supporting MSP.
• Stakeholder’s engagement

Project Results

The following outputs are available from the SIMWESTMED project. A Signposting Document directs users and stakeholders towards appropriate SIMWESTMED outputs and resources by providing summaries of the components and the main findings. 

Several project outputs are described in detail in the Practices Database. These descriptions can be found using the links under Practices in the left menu. To consult the deliverables directly, click on the links:

• Initial Assessment MSP oriented (R1)
• State-of-play of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive Implementation process - Focus on the role of the Regions (R2)
• Recommendations on the procedural steps to follow for the development of cross-border MSP (R3)
• Recommendations to support common understanding on a regional scale on MSP, including synergic implementation of regionally relevant policy instruments (R4)
• Coordination of sectoral policies - Background document (R25)
• Relationship between LSI and ICZM (R5)
• Most appropriate geographical scale for MSP at national scale (R6)
• Taking Marine Protected Areas into account in the context of Marine Spatial Planning (R7)
• Marine Protected Areas in the Western Mediterranean Region – Mediterranean database completion and analysis (R27)
• Spatial demands and future trends - Maritime sectors briefing notes (R8-R15) 
• Analysis of data needs and existing gaps (R16)
• Data management guidance document (R17)
• MSPGI: A Geoportal Feasibility Study - Planning Authority MSP Geoportal MSP Implementation Initiative (R26)
• Interactions between uses, between uses and environment, including cumulative impacts. Review of evaluation methods carried out in France, Spain and Italy - Western Mediterranean Sea (R18)
• Cumulative Effects Assessment using DESEASION - In the Var County area, France (R19)
• Case study #1 Var (R20)
• Tyrrhenian Case Study (R21)
• Gulf of Lion case study - Mapping exposure risk of marine megafauna to concomitant pressures (R22)
• Case Study #4 "Strait of Sicily - Malta" (R23)
• Case Study #4 Strait of Sicily – Malta Part II – Regulating Maritime Uses (R24)

The data portal set up during the project is available at https://simwestmed.mspdata.eu/

Project Events

Together with the SUPREME project, a joint final conferencewas held in Venice on 12-13 December 2018. The programme was comprised of different elements: Day 1 of the conference offered information through presentations on the national MSP implementations and project results as well as a poster session on the case studies (Gulf of Lion, Var, Tyrrhenian, Strait of Sicily). On Day 2 the participants exchanged in mixed working groups on EBA in MSP, Land Sea Interactions, multi-level Stakeholder engagement as well as data and tools. 

Project partners

SIMWESTMED involves the following partners:

• CEDEX – Study and Experimentation Centre, Spain
• CEREMA – Expertise Centre on Risks studies, Environment, Mobility and space planning, France
• CORILA – Consortium for coordination of research activities concerning the Venice lagoon system (Italy) ; embedding as associated partners: CNR-ISMAR National - Research Council, Institute of Marine Science (Italy), University IUAV of Venice (Italy)
• CPRM – Conference of Peripherical Maritime Regions;
• IEO – Oceanographic Institute (Spain);
• FBA – French Biodiversity Agency
• MATTM - Ministry of Environment, Protection of the Territories and the Sea (Italy);
• MEPA – Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Malta);
• MIT – Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Italy);
• Shom – French hydrographic office
• UNEP/MAP United Nations Environmental Programme, Barcelona Convention – Secretariat, Coordinating Unit for the Mediterranean Action Plan, embedding: INFO/RAC and PAP/RAC.