Mediterranean experience at the MSP Worldwide Conference in Azores

The 6th event of the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) conference series took place on 23-24 June 2016, at the University of Azores in Ponta Delgada, Portugal. Organised by the European Commission, Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, this 6th Conference on Maritime Spatial Planning Worldwide elaborated on the benefits and challenges resulting from MSP implementation by addressing relevant issues in four interactive sessions: Maritime Spatial Planning - experiences from the EU and the rest of the world; Maritime Spatial Planning as a tool to develop a sustainable maritime economy; Maritime Spatial Planning in international waters; and Maritime Spatial Planning and climate change.

The PAP/RAC Director was invited to be a panellist in the first session and to make a presentation on MSP challenges in the Mediterranean Sea basin and the way in which the Barcelona Convention system addresses this new and still emerging issue in this region of the world. Having underlined the increasing need for MSP in the Mediterranean, she elaborated on the complementarities between the ICZM Protocol of the Barcelona Convention and the EU MSP Directive and presented the results of the MSP pilot project implemented in 2015 with Greek authorities and institutions. That was also a good opportunity for her to announce two important documents that UNEP/MAP and PAP/RAC were mandated by COP19 to produce and submit for adoption by the COP20: A Regional Framework for ICZM and Conceptual Framework for MSP.