The kick-off meeting for project partners of the Northern European Sea Basins project (NESBp) will be held on February 24-25, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. This project will continue the cooperation in Maritime Spatial Planning between the North Sea and Baltic Sea regions, that was established through the eMSP NBSR project.

The kick-off meeting will provide an opportunity for project partners to discuss and outline the approach for further work among the thematic work packages. It will also help create synergies between the GNSBI, the sister project MEDIGREEN and the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group.

The NESBp aims to support the Greater North Sea Basin Initiative (GNSBI) – a newly established collaboration among North Sea countries – by fostering international cooperation for Maritime Spatial Planning in the North Sea basin. This includes close cooperation and experience-sharing with the Baltic Sea Region, for example, by facilitating dialogue between GNSBI and the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group.

Drawing on insights from the eMSP NBSR project and other relevant initiatives that contribute to the European Green Deal, the project promotes knowledge sharing and networking across both sea basins to enable strategic and efficient MSP.

Key objectives of the NESBp:

• Ensure coherent MSP implementation and maritime policy alignment across borders in the North Sea basin,
• Evaluate cross-border cooperative interactions among authorities and inter-ministerial bodies,
• Establish a structure for cross-border collaboration and learning with North and Baltic Sea countries,
• Promote integrated, ecosystem-based governance in the Greater North Sea Basin,
• Facilitate the application of ecosystem-based MSP approaches,
• Provide practical solutions to enhance multi-use of marine areas,
• Support sea basin-level decision-making through a knowledge and data-sharing platform.

Follow the project activities on website www.nesbproject.eu, on social media – X.com @theNESBproject, Bluesky @ theNESBproject.bsky.social, LinkedIN NESBproject.

The project is funded under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).