On 11 February 2016 PAP/RAC organised a side event on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) for the participants of the COP19. The event was motivated by the increasing use of the marine space which calls for an adequate planning and management approach allowing for a “blue economy” to develop in harmony with the protection of fragile marine resources. Since there is only limited knowledge on MSP in the Mediterranean basin, the need is felt to better understand its challenges and to prepare both the UNEP/MAP system and the CPs for its implementation. The experiences from two CPs were presented to this end: the work on the Integrated Maritime Policy for Israel; and a PAP/RAC pilot project implemented with Greek partners (MSP Med – Greece).
