MSPProcessdrawingsanddescriptions

12December2016

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TableofContents

1.Belgium...........................................................................................................................3

2.TheNetherlands.............................................................................................................5

3.Germany.........................................................................................................................7

4.Denmark.........................................................................................................................9

5.Scotland........................................................................................................................11

6.Sweden.........................................................................................................................13

7.Norway.........................................................................................................................15

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1.Belgium

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DescriptionBelgium

ReasonsforMSP.

In 2004Belgiandeveloped the first plans forwindenergy at sea.Thiswasdoneby theDepartmentofEconomics. They selected the best place to build thewindfarms and confirmed this in legislation. Thislegislationwentpublicanditwasn’tuntilthispointthatotherdepartmentsorpublicauthoritiesinvolvedintheNorthsea,wereawareofthisplansandtheinferenceofthemwiththeotherusersofthesea.Forexample,theplansblockedoneofthemostimportantshippinglanetowardstheportofZeebruggeandtheriverScheldt.

This was the starting point for the need of an MSP. Belgium has a very small sea area, but a lot ofactivities.

StartoftheMSP

Federalpublicauthoritiesaswellasregional(Flanders)publicauthoritieshavepowersintheNorthsea.AllpartieshavetobeinvolvedinthedevelopingofanMSP.HereforalegislationwascreatedandanadvicecommissionNorthseawasestablished.Allfederalpartnersarememberofthiscommission.TheFlemishpartnerscanbepartasadvisors.

The Commission started in 2012 to develop the first MSP. A draft version was developed and wasapproved on a political level. During the developing and after the draft version, the most importantstakeholders, like windfarm builders, shipowners, capitains, environmental organisations,… wereconsulted.

After the approval on a political level and after consultation of the stakeholders there was a publicconsultation. With this you might expect disapproval coming from the most unexpected parties. Forexample.InBelgium,wehadacomplaintcomingfromapetanqueclub.TheadvicecommissiontookintoaccountmostoftheremarksanddevelopedthefinalversionoftheMSP.

In2014thisworkwasfinishedandwecreatedourMSPRoyalDecree.ThislegislationcontainstheBelgianMSPandtheobligationtoevaluateanddevelopanewMSPby2020.

Now (2016) the Commission started the evaluation and commencedwith developing the newMSP by2020

MSPprocess

1. Draft version by the Advice Commission onMSP(2013)(Establishedbylawin2012)

2. Consultationofallstakeholders3. Approvedonpoliticallevel(2013)4. Publicconsultation(2013)5. FinalversionMSP2014,establishedbyRoyal

decree

6. 2016startoftheevaluation7. Consultationofstakeholders8. Developingnewdraftversion9. Politicalapproval10. Newpublicconsultation11. NewMSPby2020.

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2.TheNetherlands

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DescriptionTheNetherlandsAnewMaritimeSpatialPlanfortheDutchpartoftheNorthSeahascomeintoforceinJune2016andconcernstheperiodfrom2016-2021.Apartialrevisiontoestablishanareaforoffshorewindfarmsbetween10and12nauticalmiles is expected to be finalized by late 2016. That revision will help implementing the offshore wind energyroadmapfor2020.Otherimportantelementsofthepolicyplantoimplementandworkonare:(0)betterevidenceoncumulativeimpactsofhumanuses,(1)solutionsandadaptedpolicyframeworkco-useandsailingthroughwindfarms,(2)drawingupanoffshoreenergyroadmapfor2030,(3)establishingmanagementplansforNatura2000andMSFD areas at sea, (4) further elaborating on land-sea interactions and (5) engaging in dialogueon internationalcommonprinciplesforMSPinregardtodistancesbetweenwindfarmsandshippingroutes.

DuringtheparliamentarydiscussioninJune2016thecoordinatingministerfortheNorthSea,MelanieSchultzvanHaegen,announcedtopresentanoutlineoftheprocessoverthenextplanningperiodbeforetheendof2016.Keywill be to strike a new balance in wider protecting and restoring themarine ecology, whilst giving the fisheriessectorsaperspectiveforthefuture.Politicallyguidedandstakeholderdriven,theMSPprocessahead,willbecomemoreandmoreintegrated.Stakeholderswillbeinvitedtopresenttheirproposalsforsubstanceandprocesstotakeonboard.Adialogueonanecologicandeconomicstrategyfortheuseof theNorthSeaby2030,will starton15November2016.Milestonesidentifiedforthecomingplanningperiodencompass:

2016• InformingparliamentonprocessdesignNorthSea2030,afterconsultationwithstakeholders;2017• OSPARinterimQualityStatusReport(assessmentof15indicatorsforGoodEnvironmentalStatus);• KickoffclimatescenariostudyNorthSea;• BidforstudyoncumulativeimpactsforNorthSeawidebaseforStrategicEnvironmentalAssessments;• Roadmapoffshore(wind)energy2030;2018• NorthSeatriplehelixeconomicdevelopmentstrategy2030;• UpdateMarineStrategy(includingassessmentanddescriptionofGoodenvironmentalStatus);2019• PublishingMemorandumonScopeandDetailsfortherevisionoftheMSP2016-2021;• NorthSEEresultsandcumulativeimpactstudyresults;2020• DraftMaritimeSpatialPlanincludingSEAfor(inter)nationalconsultation.

InformationontheprocessforthecurrentDutchMSP

For the 2016-2021MSP policy plan, a pré processwas undertaken, drafting a vision for 2050 (in 2013/2014) thisresultedintheNorthSea2050SpatialdevelopmentAgenda.8participatoryworkshops,1conference,adviseoftheCouncilofChildren.Mostlydirectstakeholdershavebeeninvolved.TheMSFDranitsowncyclewithconsultation.Amaritime strategy for 2025 was published in 2015, largelymade with the input of players in the DutchMaritimeCluster.Togetherwithasandextractionstrategywhichwasdraftedovertheperiodthiswas inputfortheMSPfor2016-2021. On 2 June 2014 a Memorandum on Scope and Details for the revision of the National Water Plan(includingtheMSPfortheNorthSea)wasmadeavailableforpublicconsultation.From23December2014to22June2015theDraftPolicyDocumentontheNorthSeaandtheMarineStrategypart3wereavailableforconsultation.ThespecificCounsel for InfrastructureandEnvironment(OIM)was consultedon25September2014[notethisCounselconsists of the organized stakeholder groups like the Dutch Wind Energy Association, fisheries associations andNGOs].MostoftheNSRcountrieshavebeenvisitedtopresentthedraftMSPPolicyDocument.

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3.Germany

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DescriptionGermanyAtthebeginningofthe2000s,agrowingconflictofmaritimeuses,inparticularbetweendevelopingandspaceintensiveoffshorewindfarmsandmarineenvironmentalprotectiongoalsaswellastraditionalusessuch as shipping and fisheries, required an integrative and sustainable approach to coordinate thedevelopmentoftheGermanExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ).

In2004,Germany’sRaumordnungsgesetz(SpatialPlanningAct)wasamendedtoincludetheseabeyondtheterritorialwaters,theGermanExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ).TheBundesamtfürSeeschifffahrtundHydrographie (BSH) (Federal Shipping and Hydrographic Agency) was given themandate for maritimespatialplanningoftheEEZoftheNorthSeaandtheBalticSea.

In2005, theBundesministeriumfürVerkehr,BauundStadtentwicklung (BMVS) (Ministry forTransport,Construction andUrbanDevelopment) - nowMinistry for Transport andDigital Infrastructure (BMVI) -declareditsintentiontodevelopspatialplanningprovisionsfortheEEZ.ItinstructedtheBSHtoleadthatprocess.Publicauthoritiesandassociationswereaskedtoprovideinformationaboutmaritimeusesandinterests inthetwosearegions,aswellasthescopeoftheenvironmentalassessment. InconsultationsbetweenBSHandBMVSafirstdraftfortheEEZofNorthSeaandBalticSeawasdeveloped.

In2008,withthepublicdisclosureofthedraftplans,commentsfrompublicauthoritiesandassociationswere collected and evaluated. This participation process also included consultationswith internationalstakeholders.Havingtakenthecommentsintoaccountandfollowingtwopublichearings–oneforeachseaarea-aseconddraftMSPwasdeveloped.

Asecondroundofparticipation,includingpublicdiscussionswereheldandfurthercommentscollected.The BMVS coordinated the development of the planwith the neighboring countries. The coordinationalso included the German coastal states, which have the spatial planning mandate for the respectivecoastalwaters.InMid-June2009thepublicparticipationprocessconcluded.

With the maritime spatial plan, the BMVS laid down the objectives and principles for the spatialdevelopmentoftheGermanEEZ.TheplanfortheEEZNorthSeacameintoeffectperstatutoryordinancein September 2009, followed in December 2009 EEZ Baltic Sea. Both plans were subject to anenvironmentalassessment.

ThemaritimespatialplansfortheEEZformulatedprinciplesforspatialdevelopment:§ Securingandstrengtheningmaritimetraffic.§ Strengthening economic capacity through orderly spatial development and optimisation of spatial

use.§ PromotionofoffshorewindenergyuseinaccordancewithGermany’ssustainabilitystrategy.§ Long-term sustainable use of the properties and potential of the EEZ through reversible uses,

economicuseofspace,andpriorityofmarineuse.§ Securingnaturalresourcesbyavoidingdisruptionstoandpollutionofthemarineenvironment.

Spatialdesignationshavebeenmadebydeterminingpriorityareas(planningtargets,legallybinding)andreservationareas(planningprinciples)–furtherregulationshavebeenmadeinthetext,settingbindingplanningpriorities,planningprinciples,rulesandobjectivestobefollowed.Themaritimespatialplansforthe EEZ determine coordinated regulations for single uses and functions for shipping, pipelines andsubmarinecables,marinescientificresearchandenergyproduction(especiallywindenergy).

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4.Denmark

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DescriptionDenmarkInDenmark,sectorialplansfortheseaterritory(energy,shipping,environment,fishery)havebeenmadefordecadesand,concerninglanduse,Denmarkhasalongtraditionofspatialplanningbasedonaholisticapproach.However,asinmanyothercountries,economicgrowthconcernsincludingnewandemergingusesaswellasperceivedconflictsamonguseshaveputfocusontheneedforamoreintegratedapproach--alsointhemarineterritory.Andrecently,initiatedbytheEUDirective2014/89/EUonmaritimespatialplanning,thelegalframeworkforthefirstDanishMSPwasimplementedintheDanishlegislationbythe‘Act615of8June2016onMaritimeSpatialPlanning’.

TheDanishMaritimeAuthority,MinistryofBusinessandGrowthisresponsibleforcoordinatingthedevelopmentofanationalMSP,whichwillbecreatedinclosecollaborationwithotherauthoritiesandstakeholders.Theplanningprocesswillbedesignedtobeopenandtransparentwithamplestakeholderinvolvement.Thiswillincludeastrategicenvironmentalassessmentandwillbesucceededbya6-monthhearingperiodforthefinalplan.TheMSPActhasamongitspurposesthetakingintoaccountofland-seainteractions.Additionally,theActidentifiestheneedforasuitablemarinespatialdatainfrastructure(MSDI)fortheplanningprocess,forwhichTheDanishGeodataAgencyisresponsible.

AsformulatedintheActonmaritimespatialplanning,Denmark'smaritimespatialplanningshallcontributetothepromotionofeconomicgrowth,thedevelopmentofmarineareasandtheuseofmarineresourcesonasustainablebasis.Thiswillinclude:

§ takingintoaccounttheinteractionofeconomic,social,environmentalandsafetyaspectstosupportsustainabledevelopmentandgrowthinthemaritimesector.

§ promotionofthecoexistenceofvariousrelevantactivitiesandusesofmarinespace.§ contributingtosustainabledevelopmentofthepreservation,protectionandimprovementofthe

environment,includingresiliencetotheconsequencesofclimatechange§ ensuringcohesioninland-seaplanning

Inordertoachievethesegoals,theecosystemapproachwillbeappliedintheplanningprocess.

AstheDanishactonMSPhasjustpassedin2016,theimplementationprocessiscurrentlybeingplanned,whichwillresultinaDanishmaritimespatialplanin2021.TheMSPwillbelegallybindingwithmaximum10yearsofvalidityuntilitsfirstrevision.TheDanishMSPprocessisinitsstartingphaseandongoingresearchandpreviousexperiencefromMSPimplementationprocessesinothercountriesareprovidingasolidstartingpointforthenationaleffortsaswellasagoodplatformforcollaborationacrossborders.

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5.Scotland

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DescriptionScotland

The introduction of the Marine (Scotland) Act in 2010 along with the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009providedthelegalbasisforthecreationofScotland’sNationalMarinePlan.Theplansupportsbettermanagementof the competing demands on marine resources and ensures increasing demands for the use of our marineenvironment are managed, economic development of marine industries is encouraged and environmentalprotectionisincorporatedintomarinedecisionmaking.Italsoplaysaroletomanageadaptationtoandmitigationofclimatechange.UndertheMarine(Scotland)Act2010,theMarineScotlandLicensingOperationsTeam(MS-LOT)dealswithallaspectsofmarinelicensinginScottishseasandistheone-stopshopintheconsentingprocess.MarineplanninginScotlandisundertakeninvariouslevelsdescribedbelow.

Anationallevel,bycreatingScotland'sfirstNationalMarinePlan,followingonfromtheadoptionoftheUKMarinePolicyStatementin2011.TheMarinePolicyStatementwaspreparedincoordinationwiththeUKGovernment,theWelshGovernmentandtheNorthern IrelandGovernment,and providesa framework forpreparingmarineplansand supportingdecisions affecting themarine environment. This frameworkwill enable a consistent approach toMSPacrosstheUK.

TheNationalMarinePlanwasadoptedbyScottishMinisters inMarch2015and involvedstakeholdersandpublicconsultationintheformofworkshopsandonlinesurveys.TheplancoversbothScottishinshorewaters(outto12nauticalmiles) andoffshorewaters (12 to200nauticalmiles) and isbrokendown intobothgeneral and sectoralobjectives and policies. The ScottishMarine Atlas, published in 2011, provided baseline scientific and economicinformationontheconditionsandusesofScotland’sseasfromwhichthenationalplanwasdeveloped.

Aregionallevel,bycreatingScottishMarineRegions.Marineplanningwillbeimplementedatalocallevelwithin11ScottishMarineRegions,extendingoutto12nauticalmiles,inordertotakeaccountoflocalissues.Theboundariesof these regions have been set by secondary legislation (ScottishMarine Regions Order 2013). The firstMarinePlanningPartnershipwasestablishedinShetlandin2016andworktoestablishaPartnershipfortheClyderegionisongoing. RegionalMarine Plansmust be in accordancewith theNationalMarine Plan and theUKMarine PolicyStatementtoensuretheyareconsistentwithnationalobjectives.

RegionalplansarealsosubjecttoadoptionbyScottishMinisters.

Thedevelopmentofmarineplansincludes(1)assessingtheconditionoftheregion(2)summarisingthesignificantpressuresand impactofhumanactivity (3)keepingunder reviewthephysical,environmental, social, culturalandeconomiccharacteristicsoftheregion;thepurposesforwhichit isused; itscommunication,energyandtransportsystems; and the living resources which it supports (4) setting economic, social, marine ecosystem and climatechange objectives (5) stating the contribution of MPAs and other designated areas to the protection andenhancement of the region (6) Stating policies for sustainable development of the region and (7) Developing aStatementofPublicParticipationandcarryingoutconsultation.

Sectoral Planning, for offshore renewable energy. The development of sectoral marine plans preceded thedevelopmentof theNationalMarinePlanbut followedthesameframework.The firstOffshoreWindEnergyPlanwas adopted in March 2011. The review of the OffshoreWind Energy Plan has been undertaken alongside theproduction of the new Wave and Tidal Energy Plans, which first drafts were published in 2013. The plans willcontributetomeetingScotland’stargetofgeneratingtheequivalentof100%ofelectricitydemandfromrenewablesourcesandalsoseektomaximisethecontributionofthesetechnologiestoachievingalowcarboneconomy.

Terrestrial Planning. To explore the relationship between the Statutory Land Use Planning System and MarinePlanningand Licensing in Scotland.TheScottishGovernmenthasproduceda circularwhichexplores the linkagesbetweenthemarineandterrestrialplanningsystemsandprovidesguidanceaboutjointworking.

Marine Scotland developed an interactive web portal/ tool, the NationalMarine Plan Interactive, that has beendesignedtoassistinthedevelopmentofnationalandregionalmarineplanningbypresentingdataonofwiderangeusesofthemarinespace,suchasfishing,shipping,cablesandpipelines,renewableenergydevelopments,alongsidebiological,administrativeandmonitoringdata.

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6.Sweden

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DescriptionSweden

TheSwedishMSPwasinitiatedbytheEUdirective(2014/89/EU)ontheestablishmentofaframeworkformaritimespatialplanning.Decadesearlier, theSwedishgovernmenthad investigatedtheneedforMSPwithoutleadingtoanyaction.AwaitingtheEUdirective,theSwedishgovernmenttookactionin2011asitorderedtherecentlyestablishedSwedishAgencyforMarineandWaterManagement(SwAM)tostartpreparing fornational levelMSP.FollowingthepassingofaMSP law in2014, thegovernment issuedaMSPordinancein2015,inbroadtermsspecifyinghowtheMSPprocessshalltakeplace.ThenationalMSPshall cover the offshore waters including EEZ while coastal water MSP shall be undertaken bymunicipalities. ThenationalMSP shallbedraftedbySwAM indialoguewithotherauthorities, sectorialinterestandotherstakeholders.ThenationalMSPwillconsistofthreedifferentplandocumentsandwillindicatethegovernment’swillofhowtousetheseafromaspatialperspective.Thethreeplansmustbebasedonanecosystemapproach.Thegovernmentexpectstosignthereadyandnegotiatedplansbefore2021.

SwAMhasbeenpreparingthenationalMSPsince2011.Aroadmapdocumentwaspublishedin2015andhasbeenunder stakeholder review.During2015and2016workinggroup sessionswereheldbetweenSwAMandallrelevantnationalauthoritieswithinthesectors:energy,shipping,defence,fishing,coastaldevelopment and nature conservation. The output from these working groups has been used in thedraftingofthreeplans.ThesedraftwillbepublishedasdiscussionpapersDecember12016andahearingis scheduled for spring 2017. In late 2017, the marine spatial plans will be sent for a first formalconsideration round. Further iterations with reviews and plan amendments will take place and SwAMexpectstodeliverafirstcompleteMSPproposaltothegovernmentinlate2019.

In parallel to thework outlined above, environmental impact assessmentswill be developed,with thevery first draft in January 2017. Cumulative environmental impacts will be key to plan amendmentsthrough the development of theMSP tool Symphony, allowing for planners to test the environmentaloutcomeofdifferentplanalternativesandusetheresultsfor iterativestakeholderdiscussionsandplandevelopment.

InternationalcollaborationtakesplacethroughthemultilateralEUprojectsBalticScope,BalticLINESandNorthSEEinadditiontobilateraldiscussionsandtheconventionalEspooconventiondialogue.

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7.Norway