Agenda & Parallel Sessions

 

 

The 5th Baltic MSP Forum Navigate Planning Through Changes took place on 11–12 November 2025 in Riga, Latvia. This year, the Forum was organized in close connection with the Baltic Sea2Land project, serving as its final conference, and broadening the scope to strengthen linkages between maritime spatial planning (MSP) and coastal zone planning.

PRELIMINARY AGENDA

Agenda PDF

All times shown in EET (Riga time).

Venue: VEF Culture Palace, Riga, Ropažu iela 2, Latvia

 

EVENT MODERATORS: Natalia Zając and Artis Ozoliņš

11 November 2025

12 November 2025
9:00 -10:00 EET

Registration

Welcome coffee

 8:30 – 9:00  EET

Welcome coffee
10:00 – 11:30

OPENING

Welcoming remarks

  • Raimonds Čudars Minister of the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development of Republic of Latvia
  • Emilia Malak-Pętlicka Deputy director of Strategy Department, Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy of Poland, Chair of the VASAB Committee on Spatial Planning and Development of the BSR
  • Kai Trümpler Director of Spatial Planning at the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany, Co-chair of the HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning Working Group

Setting the scene – Planners in Changing World.
Keynote speakers:

  • Diāna Rasuma Director of Spatial Planning and Land Management Department, Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia, Lead partner of Baltic Sea2Land project
  • MSP past, present and future: Charting a course in a changing world by Kira Gee Senior Scientist, Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon and Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), Germany

Panel discussion: Current Challenges in Maritime & Coastal Spatial Planning

  • Felix Leinemann Head of Unit for Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and MSP, DG MARE, European Commission
  • Kai Trümpler Director of Spatial Planning at the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany, Co-chair of the HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning Working Group
  • Mari Pohja-Mykrä VASAB CSPD/BSR representative of Finland
  • Kamil Rybka Chair of the BSR MSP Data Expert Sub-Group
  • Helen Erik Project Manager at Saaremaa Municipality, Estonia
 9:00 – 10:30

OPENING OF DAY 2

Recapping Day 1

Introduction to Day 2

Keynote: The beginners guide to ecosystem-based maritime spatial planning – the why, what and how from the HELCOM-VASAB MSP working group’s EBA-taskforce

  • Jan Schmidtbauer Crona Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management

Panel discussion: What Do We Mean as EBA Planning&Management?

  • Jan Schmidtbauer Crona  Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management
  • Ben Sass  Head of Project Development National Offshore and Legal Counsel Offshore Wind /PNE Group
  • Marcin Kotlarek  Race for the Baltic
  • Nick BoxemManager at the Marine Policy Directorate, Government of the Netherlands
11:30 – 12:00 Coffee break and snacks

Exhibition

 10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break
12:00 – 13:00

Country presentations on MSP and coastal planning

Introduction to exhibition

 10:45 – 12:00

Parallel sessions #3

7. Advancing Transboundary Governance: Baltic and North Sea Challenges and Prospects
8. Safety and Security of Supply at the Baltic Sea
9.Effective Use of Space for a Sustainable Blue Economy: Baltic Approaches to Multi-Use in Marine and Coastal Areas
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

Exhibition

 12:10 – 13:00

Closing session
14:00 – 15:15

Parallel sessions #1

1. Resilient and Liveable Coastal Communities
2. Integrating Ecosystem Services into MSP
3. Sea2Land Navigator: Your Compass to Unlock Planning Insights

 13:00 – 14:00 Light lunch
15:15 – 15:45 Coffee break

Exhibition

  

14:00 – 16:00

 

12- 13 November lunch-to-lunch

Back-to back events

7th MSP Planners’ Forum (invitation only)

 

Workshop to enhance uptake of ecosystem services information in management and policy organised by the BESTmarine project. Read more.
15:45 – 17:00

Parallel sessions #2

4. Tackling Consequences of Climate Change in Coastal Municipalities
5. Integrating Blue-Green Infrastructure in Maritime Spatial Planning
6. Coastal Accessibility: a Multi-Level Perspective on Challenges and Solutions in the Baltic Sea Region
17:00 – 18:00

Exhibition

Video screening on previous MSP Forums
18:00 – 21:00

Evening reception