In the framework of the European Commission’s Stakeholder Event “A decade of Maritime Spatial Planning”, starting on 22nd October, the REGINA MSP and MSP GREEN joint final conference took place from 23rd to 24th October 2024 at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille (Région Sud).
High-level speakers and MSP stakeholders’ representatives debated about the role that MSP can play in strengthening the marine dimension of the European Green Deal.
Focusing on multilevel governance in the design, implementation and monitoring of the maritime spatial plans, and looking at legislative aspects as leveraging tools, the CPMR moderated the session “Integrating regional perspectives, needs and stakeholders into national MSP” counting on experts from different sea basins: Karina Fitzgerald, Senior Marine Planning Advisor ,Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (Ireland); Mari Pohja-Mykrä, Coordinator of the Finnish MSP Cooperation, Regional Council of South West Finland (Finland); Luisa Perini, Directorate General for Spatial Planning and the Environment, Emilia Romagna Region (Italy) and Margarita Stancheva, CCMS, (Bulgaria). They also highlighted their future perspectives of a transnational approach in MSP at EU sea basin level and the essential role played by local and regional authorities.
At the invitation of the CPMR Islands Commission, Rui M.O Martins, Director for Maritime Affairs, Government of the Azores, shared his experience from his outermost region in the conclusive roundtable on “How to move forward” and underlined that EU projects like REGINA MSP, MSP GREEN or MSP OR, help to align MSP to the EU Green Deal objectives, including climate mitigation, and effectively demonstrate as well the importance of the role of regional authorities in sea basin governance.
The event enabled to discuss key issues on how to integrate local, sub-national and regional perspectives into national MSP, highlighting some following recommendations such as:
- The relevance of an inclusive multilevel governance with stronger participation of local and regional authorities, also supported by training.
- Cooperation of coastal local authorities and coastal and insular regions on MSP should be more accentuated, especially in the Mediterranean.
- Local and regional authorities are the key actors to address land-sea interactions.
- An ecosystem-based approach is a staple of maritime spatial planning.
- Sea-basin approach, building on sea-basin strategies and involving sub-national authorities and support from Interreg projects can foster a successful MSP.
- Regional Seas Conventions can support a transboundary MSP and facilitate exchange between EU and non-EU countries.
It is worth mentioning that, in the framework the REGINA MSP project, the CPMR took part in the publication of key deliverables, including:
– The REGINA MSP “policy paper“, an exercise which provides the EU Institutions with Policy recommendations in order to enhance the effectiveness of the EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD), reflecting on ten years of implementation and EU policy evolution since its entry into force in 2014. The paper addresses current challenges and explores opportunities for regional authorities to actively participate in the MSP process, thereby maximising the directive’s implementation.
– The “Baseline assessment on national and regional implementation of MSP and gap analysis” which evaluates the status of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) implementation and identifies existing gaps in the process.
– The “Compendium of regional experiences”: A collection of various regional experiences in MSP, to capture snapshots from different countries and sea basins. Benefits for regional and local authorities, gaps, barriers and needs and the transferability potential were underlined in a cross-cutting analysis, providing a general overview of regional aspects into MSP implementation and its evolution at EU level.
Even if the REGINA MSP project ends soon, the technical and political debate launched during the MSP decade week and the REGINA MSP & GREEN MSP joint final event will continue between marine planning actors and policymakers, opening a space for debate on the future of a potential overarching maritime policy. This encompasses the adequate tools and means to ensure reaching the blue and green objectives of the EU, finding the equilibrium between a vital protection, conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems while ensuring a sustainable blue economy to secure local communities’ socio-economic and cultural development, energy transition and climate change adaptation of all peripheral maritime regions.
For more information about REGIN MSP, please visit: https://www.regina-msp.eu/
To watch the replay of the REGINA MSP & MSP GREEN joint final conference, please visit the CPMR Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CRPMCPMR