Maritime spatial planning (MSP) is increasingly being introduced as a tool to improve decision-making for those maritime areas where competing human activities occur and to manage the effects on the marine environment. According to the European Commission's Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning: Achieving Common Principles in the EU of November 2008, for MSP to be effective, it should be established by setting up a legally binding framework. Recently, several European Union (EU) Member States have developed systems to establish a firm national legal basis to engage in MSP in all maritime waters within their national jurisdiction. However, their starting points are different; whereas, the Netherlands and Germany extended their existing territorial spatial planning framework seaward, the UK developed an entire new planning system specific for its maritime waters. This article aims to explore how the EU Member States mentioned above have embedded their maritime spatial planning activities in their national legal system and to what extent they are bound by global and EU-legislation when engaging in MSP. Special attention is paid to issues of cross-sectoral coordination and cross-border consultation with neighbouring States.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) are embedded in a number of multilateral frameworks. The present report discusses how various global and regional conventions deal with MPAs in their regulatory frameworks, such as their processes and guidelines for the identification and designation of MPAs in ABNJ, and cross-sectoral issues. It is concluded that the designation of MPAs is one step, but it needs to be followed by effective management measures in order to prevent that MPAs, especially multi-purpose MPAs, only exist on paper for many years. Such measures are mostly sector-specific and thus often fall under the competences of various organizations that have their own individual criteria and balance of interests. The report concludes by providing recommendations to overcome obstacles in cross-sectoral cooperation and coordination, as well as on how to combine global and regional interaction.
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