On 29 September 2015 VASAB hosted the Baltic SCOPE project kick-off event in Riga, Latvia. More than 80 experts, practitioners and scientists representing a wide range of organizations around the Baltic Sea and beyond shared their experience, knowledge and brought inspiration for further transboundary cooperation on Maritime Spatial Planning.

Planners from the Adriatic Sea, the North Sea and the Black Sea as well as BONUS Baltspace project presented regional MSP challenges and solutions. Both Baltic SCOPE project’s case study areas – Southwest Baltic and Central Baltic presented the progress made since the launch of the project. The priority sectors – energy, transport and shipping, environment and fishery in greater detail were discussed in smaller groups.

The Baltic SCOPE kick-off event was a part of a number of MSP-related meetings hosted by VASAB: Baltic SCOPE partners’ meeting and Steering Group meeting, the 11th joint HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group meeting as well as the 1st Baltic Sea Region Data Expert Sub-Group meeting along with VASAB Open Troika meeting which took place in the same week.

The Baltic SCOPE project unites MSP authorities and pan-Baltic organizations to find planning solutions to transboundary issues and improve MSP processes. The two-year project is co-funded by EC DG MARE. More information about the project and kick-off event can be found: http://www.balticscope.eu/news/thank-you-for-being-part-of-the-baltic-scope-kick-off/