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Newsletter #2 2017

MSP events in 2017The EU MSP Platform was present at the 2ndInternational MSP conference organisedjointly by the European Commission andUNESCO / IOC. You can view the Roadmapfor MSP here, as well as the presentationsgiven and photos taken.

The 11th meeting of the Member StatesExpert Group Meeting on MSP took place inHamburg on 2 and 3 March. During themeeting, the work plan for 2017 was agreedand a technical study on 'MSP for BlueGrowth - How to plan for sustainablemaritime economies' discussed. The nextmeeting will take place in Malta on 14 and15 June, back to back with an EU-wideconference on land-sea interactions to beheld on 15 and 16 June. More details on thisconference as well as the EU wideconference on 'MSP for Blue Growth'planned on 11 and 12 October will bepresented in the next newsletter.

On 23 March the North Seas Energy Forumtook place. In 2016, the North Sea countrieshave signed a Political Declarationcommitting to cooperation on the NorthSeas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative, withthe aim of realising a sustainable, secureand affordable energy supply for the NorthSea Region. In order to implement thePolitical Declaration, a support group onMSP has been formed. You can view thepresentations that were given at the Forumhere.

The MARSPLAN conference has been movedto 3 and 4 May. Topics will include trends inMSP, legislation, cross-border cooperationand MSP towards sustainable Blue Growth.

The date for the second EUSAIR Forum hasbeen set for 11 and 12 May and specialfocus will be given to Blue Growth and itsinterrelations with the other EUSAIR pillars:environmental quality, sustainable tourismand regional connectivity.

News from MSP projects

SUPREME will support Member States in theEastern Mediterranean with theimplementation of the MSP Directive byfocusing, among other things, on the spatialdemands for maritime sectors and relatedcumulative impacts, as well as stakeholderinvolvement and participation.

AMARE focuses on Actions for MarineProtect Areas in the Mediterranean Sea,including the development of sharedmethodologies and geospatial tools,concrete pilot actions and coordinatedstrategies for the selection of MPAs. Moreinformation is now also available on otherprojects that focus on the MediterraneanSea, such as CO-Evolve and PROTOMEDEA.

In the North Atlantic Ocean, SIMNORATkicked off early this year. The projectintends to address practical aspects of MSPimplementation, focusing on transboundarycooperation and sharing of best practices. Itwill also be carrying out concrete cross-border MSP cooperation between threeMember States: France, Portugal and Spain.

In the Baltic Sea, Plan4Blue - MSP forsustainable blue economies will developeconomic scenarios, focus on agreementson cross-border MSP objectives, planningoptions and a framework for continuouscollaboration.

On the European level, MUSES started inDecember 2016. The project focuses onmulti-use in the European sea basins,including an assessment of environmental,spatial, economic and societal benefits aswell as barriers related to co-location ofoffshore and near-shore activities. To verifyinterim results, a stakeholder workshop willbe organized on 17 May back to back withEMD.

The EU MSP Platform will also be presentduring the EMD on 18 and 19 May, with anexhibition stand where you can pick upprinted versions of the Country InformationProfiles.

MSP funding opportunities

The deadline for theDG MARE / EASME Callfor Proposals on MSP - North Sea, Black Sea,Baltic Sea and Outermost Regions has beenextended to 28 April 2017. More informationon the conditions is available here.

The first call of Interreg CBC Italy – Croatia2014 – 2020 for standard+ projects hasbeen launched (27 March - 10 May 2017)and the successive call for standard projectswill open on 21 April.

The Interreg programme for the North Westof Europe 2014 - 2020 has its deadline seton 26 May. The focus is on innovation, lowcarbon and resource and materialsefficiency.

MSP practicesFor the Baltic Sea, the Spatial PlanningProgramme for Lower-Saxony and theMSPlans for the States of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern inGermany are now available online.

For the Eastern Mediterranean, informationis now available on one of the outputs fromthe DEVOTES project: the NestedEnvironmental Status Assessment Tool. Thepractice aims to answer how humanactivities and climate influence marineecosystems, what indicators are available toassess biodiversity and how these can beharmonised across Europe.

Country informationIn Belgium, the review process for thenational MSP is in full swing. Input andcomments can be provided until 30 April.

The Marine Management Organisation haspublished an update of the NationalEvidence Strategy 2015 - 2020. It focuses,among many other things, on marine litterand EIAs. Marine Scotland has also produceda new report on the socio-economic effectsof the Scottish Marine Protected Areas.

The Swedish Country Information Profile hasbeen updated to include the MaritimeStrategy, which includes a strategy for thedevelopment of the maritime industries.

MSP -relevant publicationsSeveral documents were published duringthe first months of 2017 which haverelevance to MSP. The Copernicus MarineService Ocean State Report includes areport on the state and health of theEuropean Regional Seas during 2016.

A report was also recently publishedcontaining the outputs of the BlueBridgeworkshop 'Boosting Blue Growth through E-Infrastructures'. The workshop broughttogether over 50 stakeholders in the BlueGrowth sectors and facilitated a discussionon data management challenges.

The presentations given during theEuropean Parliament Intergroup on Seas,Rivers, Islands and Coastal areas (Searica)meeting on Motorways of the Sea, can bedownloaded here.

Do you have a question about MSP? Submit it to the Question & Answer service here. Make sure to follow the EU MSP Platform onTwitter as well, to stay up to date with the latest developments. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here and make

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MSP events in 2017ICES Working Group Meeting on Marine Planning and Coastal Zone Management

3 - 7 April in Barcelona, Spain

OECD Global Forum on Development6 April in Paris, France

BLUEMED – A Basin of Research and Innovation for Sustainable Growth' conference18 - 19 April in Sliema, Malta

International Conference on MSP, EcAp and Supporting Information Systems 24 - 28 April in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

7th Annual IFM Specialist Conference ‘Renewable Energy and Fisheries – Plugging the Gap’25 – 26 April in Newport, Wales

Adriatic Sea Forum: Maritime Tourism in the Adriatic27 - 28 April in Budva, Montenegro

2nd EUSAIR Forum11 - 12 May in Ioannina, Greece

European Maritime Day18 - 19 May in Poole, UK

UN Conference on SDG 14 – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marineresources for sustainable development

5 – 9 June in New York, USA

EU-wide conference on Land-sea interactions15 - 16 June in Valletta, Malta

Our Ocean Wealth Summit30 June in Galway, Ireland

9th MARE Conference People and the Sea: Dealing with Maritime Mobilities5 – 7 July in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

'Our Ocean Conference'5 - 6 October in Valletta, Malta

EU-wide conference on MSP for sustainable maritime economies11 - 12 October in Brussels, Belgium

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