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Newsletter #3 2017

MSP events in 2017Registrations are now open for the"Maritime Spatial Planning Conference -Addressing Land-Sea Interactions" organisedby DG MARE on 15 and 16 June in St.Julian's, Malta. There are different ways ofaddressing LSI in MSP, involving differentspatial scales of intervention. Someplanners choose to build on the experienceof integrated coastal management, othersharmonise terrestrial and maritime spatialplans; and others simply plan at a scale thatcrosses the land-sea border. The conferencewill feature both experts and practitionerssharing their experience of addressing LSI inthe framework of MSP. The audience will beinvited to actively participate in thediscussion. You can find more informationand register here.

On 19 April the European Commissionlaunched a new initiative for the sustainabledevelopment of the blue economy in theWestern Mediterranean region,strengthening cooperation between the 10countries. One day later, the EC signed adeclaration reaffirming their politicalcommitment to further grow EU'ssustainable blue economy.

Save the date for the internationalconference on 'MSP for Blue Growth - How toplan for sustainable maritime economies' on11 and 12 October in Brussels, Belgium.

News from the EU MSPPlatform

The study on ‘MSP and Data – Evaluation ofdata and knowledge gaps to implementMSP’ prepared as part of the work of theMSP Platform has now been officiallypublished by the European Commission. Thework presents an overview of what data andknowledge are needed by Member Statesfor MSP decision making, taking into accountdifferent scales and different points in theMSP cycle. It examines current and futureMSP data and knowledge issues fromvarious perspectives (i.e. from MemberStates, Sea Basin(s) as well as projects andother relevant initiatives). Among otherthings, the study shows that challenges forMember States often lie in developingsecond generation plans which require moreanalytical information and strategicevidence. Underlying this is the need forspatial evaluation tools for assessment,impact and conflict analysis purposes. TheFAQ page now also features a specificsection on Data and MSP.

The EU MSP Platform features a one of akind 48 hour Question & Answer Service,which you can use to ask any kind ofquestion related to MSP. Answers come fromthe sea basin Focal Points and are includedinto the FAQ page.

www.msp-platform.eu now also features ageneral search function, to ensure thatusers will always find the information theyare looking for.

MSP funding opportunitiesThe Interreg funding programme CBC Italy -Croatia 2014-2020 for standard projects hasbeen launched and the deadline is set for 19June. The overall objective is to increase theprosperity and the blue growth potential ofthe area.

There are several on-going fundingopportunities targeting the Black Sea. Oneof these focuses on the completion of theestablishment of the Natura 2000 network inthe marine areas, for which the deadline is 2May.

The first call for project proposals of the ENICBC “Black Sea Basin Joint Operational

MSP practicesThe FAQ page has been updated to includeseveral entries for the maritime sectors Oiland Gas, exploring how MSP could improvepermitting processes and how strategicplanning in these sectors could be mirroredin other sectors such as offshore wind.

The Welsh Marine Planning Portal shows thedistribution of marine natural resources and

Programme 2014-2020” was also launchedin April. The objective is to promotebusiness and entrepreneurship within theBlack Sea Basin and to promotecoordination of environmental protectionand joint reduction of marine litter. Thedeadline is 31 May.

There is a new Call for Tenders out byEASME: 'Facility to promote regionaldialogue and foster Blue Growth in the BlackSea', deadline 2 June. The purpose is toselect a service provider to set up andoperate a service referred to as ‘Facility’ topromote regional dialogue on blue growthand foster blue economy development inthe Black Sea region, as well as tocontribute to the formulation of commonmaritime and research strategic priorities forthe sea basin.

how the seas are used. It will also be ameans to provide feedback to the marineplanning team on the information and dataprovided.

Another planning tool featured on the EUMSP Platform is the Wadden Sea RegionPlanning Portal, which is an innovativeapplication mapping the WSR including theEEZs of the Netherlands, Germany andDenmark. The Planning Portal has a focus onexisting and partly planned activities incoastal and off-shore areas.

As a follow-up to the North Seas EnergyForum that took place in March, a practicehas been added to the Practices databasedescribing the Political Declaration onenergy cooperation between the North SeasCountries.

Country informationThe Scottish government is progressing withthe review of the National Marine Plan,which is due in March 2018. Regionally,Clyde and Shetland Marine PlanningPartnerships have now been formallyestablished and can start the MSP process.They have completed the first draft of theregional assessment, i.e. the collation ofbaseline data to inform their regionalmarine planning. You can read more aboutScottish MSP here.

The project BalticSCOPE has produced 8outputs, including recommendations oncross-border MSP, a checklist toolbox forapplying the ecosystem-based approacheffectively, and a set of shipping densitymaps with data from 2006 to 2015 (alsoincluding a 'how-to' on making similarmaps). In addition, the project has produceda report on the 'how' of MSP in Latvia: 'TheLatvian Recipe'. It describes themethodology used in it to include theinternal and territorial waters and EEZ in theMaritime Spatial Planning. The report shouldserve as inspiration for other Member Statesto develop MSPs.

News from MSP projectsSIMCelt: Maritime Spatial Planning:transboundary cooperation in the CelticSeas is organising its closing conference on28 - 29 November in Liverpool, UK. Theresults of the project will be shared and keyissues in transbounday working on the MSPDirective will be addressed.

The project SIMWESTMED is now featuredon the EU MSP Platform and you can stayupdated here until the project website islaunched. The objectives are to support theimplementation of MSP in EU Member Statesand to launch and carry out concrete andcross-border MSP initiatives betweenMember States.

The MARISCA project took place in 2015-2016 and proposed a network of MPAs andprotection zones for the conservation of allimportant and vulnerable habitats andspecies in the Aegean Sea. You can viewmaps of the human activities in the projectarea, and maps of the spatial distribution ofvulnerable habitats and species.

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 2017MARSPLAN Conference

3 – 4 May in Constanta, Romania

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

European Environmental Ports Conference

7 – 8 June in Antwerp, Belgium

Maritime Spatial Planning Conference on Land-Sea Interactions15 - 16 June in St.Julian's, Malta

8th Annual Forum of the EUSBSR13 – 14 June in Berlin, Germany

Sea Scotland Conference21 June in Dundee, Scotland

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

A New Era of Blue Enlightenment12 – 14 July in Lisbon, Portugal

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

Conference on MSP for Blue Growth - How to plan for sustainable maritimeeconomies

11 - 12 October in Brussels, Belgium

4th Atlantic Stakeholder Platform conference8 November in Glasgow, Scotland

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