Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Programme 2007 - 2013 Baltic Sea Region

Date of latest update: 2025-12-27

Description

Description (EN):

The growth of the maritime economy throughout Europe results in increasing demands for maritime space coupled with the need to ensure a viable marine environment. This phenomenon has led to the integrated maritime policy (IMP) approach throughout Europe with Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) being by now the widely acknowledged tool for co-ordinating spatial use and balancing of interests in the sea. Within the Baltic Sea Region MSP is highly promoted by VASAB and HELCOM, which have created a joint working group and act as Horizontal Action Leaders for MSP within the EUSBSR. On national level, many BSR countries have passed the necessary legislation and are about to start MSP processes. In March 2013 these developments have received an extra push with the EU proposal for a directive to create a common framework for maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management. By its very nature MSP requires thorough consideration of the interests of the sectors concerned, which are - in turn - expressed at all governance levels reaching from individual up to international scale. Even more also maritime and terrestrial spatial planning should be tightly interlinked, consistent and mutually supportive. Planners need to consider the whole Baltic Sea ecosystem when planning transnational structures (i.e. nature protection areas, grid connections, shipping lanes). Little if no practical experience exists on how to satisfy all these requirements (i.e. land-sea integration, transnational consultation, ecosystem based approach, stakeholder participation) for a sustainable MSP. Therefore the bodies responsible for and/or actually drafting MSPs throughout the Baltic Sea Region have joined forces. Together they test and develop instruments/models on how such multi-level governance mechanisms can be realised in MSP within three pilot areas: a) Pomeranian Bight (SE, DE, PL, DK); b) Lithuanian Sea (LT, LV, SE, RU); c) Middle Bank (SE, PL). In addition the project engages national bodies, experts & researchers in a series of pan-Baltic dialogues on mariculture, nature protection, shipping & ports, underwater heritage and offshore energy as well as supporting functions like MSP data, ecosystem and climate change research. The ambition is to jointly explore what MSP means to these stakeholders and getting a better insight into their priorities, objectives, fears and hopes as well as the transnational nature of their topic. In subsequent cross-sectoral workshops synergies & conflicts will be identified and proposals developed for future MSPs and related governance processes. The ambition is to develop a pan-Baltic approach to topics whose spatial dimension transcends sectoral and administrative borders and to develop a concept for a MSP institutional framework and governance model which shall provide input to policy decisions to be taken at the VASAB ministerial conference to be held in summer 2014.

Achievements (EN):

The PartiSEApate project is dedicated to promote Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) through a number of activities and outputs and, so far, has made substantial progress. Stakeholder workshops Representatives from different sectors (aquaculture, shipping & ports, nature conservation & environment, fishery, offshore wind energy, underwater cultural heritage, climate change, research and data network building) were invited to discuss MSP-related issues relevant to their sector in the Baltic Sea. The workshops were carried through and evaluated with a harmonized methodology. Findings from the single-sector workshops have been compiled in a synthesis report. As a follow-up a cross-sectoral workshop is scheduled to take place, which will bring together different stakeholders at one table to discuss potential conflicts and synergies between sea uses and possible spatial solutions. Pilot projects The PartiSEApate pilot projects aim at developing and testing methodologies of multi-level MSP processes, including the level of transboundary MSP consultation. The extension of the Lithuanian general plan to marine areas may have impacts on its neighbours. In the scope of the PartiSEApate project, meetings with Russian and Latvian stakeholders have been carried through to give them a chance to voice their views on the plan. In the Middle Bank case, an analysis of Swedish stakeholders has been completed. The Polish stakeholder analysis is currently being carried out. In the Pomeranian Bight case a first stakeholder meeting took place in Malmö. Two especially important issues will be studied in detail: 1) Krieger’s Flak/Combined Grid Solutions (a Danish-German project without Swedish participation aiming at combining offshore wind farms) as well as 2) Baltic Pipe (a gas pipeline planned to connect Denmark and Poland). Interviews with stakeholders involved in these projects are being carried through. Country Fiches Countery Fiches with information on MSP in each country of the BSR as well as Norway have been updated. They are available on the project website. Moreover, the HELCOM-VASAB Working Group on MSP decided to align the formal, regular country reporting on MSP with the second generation of country fiches recommended by the PartiSEApate project. These will be updated regularly by members of the HELCOM/VASAB MSP WG and made publicly available on the VASAB homepage. Governance Model The overarching ambition of PartiSEApate is to develop an MSP Governance Model, which includes recommendations on transnational consultations as well as on pan-Baltic cooperation. The above mentioned activities all feed into this model. Additionally, interviews with sector representatives and MSP governance experts will enter into the analysis. The model will serve as recommendations to the HELCOM-VASAB Working Group on MSP for developing guidelines on transnational cooperation and consultations as well on public participation.

Thematic information

Coastal management and maritime issues Governance, partnership Regional planning and development

Partners (10)

Lead Partner: Maritime Institute Gdansk

Address: 80830 Gdańsk, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology

Name: Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology

Address: 1048 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: n/a

Valsts reģionālās attīstības aģentūra (VASAB sekretariāta vārdā)

Name: Valsts reģionālās attīstības aģentūra (VASAB sekretariāta vārdā)

Address: 1010 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: n/a

Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia

Name: Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia

Address: 1010 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: n/a

Urząd Morski w Gdyni

Name: Urząd Morski w Gdyni

Address: 81-338 Gdynia, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Maritime Office Szczecin

Name: Maritime Office Szczecin

Address: 70-207 Szczecin, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Klaipeda University Coastal Research and Planning Institute

Name: Klaipeda University Coastal Research and Planning Institute

Address: 92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania

Legal status: n/a

Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM)

Name: Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM)

Address: 404 39 Göteborg, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

REGION SKÅNE

Name: REGION SKÅNE

Address: 291 89 Kristianstad, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency

Name: Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency

Address: Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 78, 20359 Hamburg, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

State Regional Development Agency, the Republic of Latvia (representing VASAB secretariat)

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Maritime Office Gdynia (MOG)

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Maritime Institute Gdansk

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Maritime Office Szczecin

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Klaipeda University Coastal Research and Planning Institute

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM)

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

REGION SKÅNE

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Project acronym: PartiSEApate

Project start date: 2012-06-13

Project end date: 2014-09-12

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 916 930.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 746 642.00

Co-financing sources:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2007 - 2013 Baltic Sea Region

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2015-03-01

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

92 / 92 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

1 414 / 1 414 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the programme and collected from programme website

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Contact Form

Multi-level Governance in MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning) throughout the Baltic Sea Region

Description

Thematic information

Partners (10)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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