NESBp Showcasing MSP Collaboration at EMD 2026 in Limassol, Cyprus

This workshop supported MSP authorities, practitioners and stakeholders from different sea basins by facilitating cross-border learning between sea basins, sharing lessons learned and best practices.

Among the key questions discussed, there was a will to understand better what can be learned from each other in the sea basins of the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, as different types of transboundary collaborations on MSP are underway or developing.

The panel discussion was moderated by Marjoleine Nascimento da Silva-Karper, NESB Project Manager at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). It brought together Lodewijk Abspoel, Senior Advisor on European Integrated Maritime Policy at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, representing the North Sea and GNSBI; Marina Markovic, Senior Programme Officer at UNEP/MAP PAP/RAC, representing the Mediterranean Sea; and Jan Schmidtbauer Crona, Senior Analyst at the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, representing the Baltic Sea and the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group.

Among the key messages conveyed by the panelists, the most important highlighted the specific strengths, challenges and opportunities in each of the three sea-basin regions:

• Baltic Sea
  The Baltic Sea was presented as a good example of regional MSP cooperation. The region showcased how longstanding commitment can achieve common approach, referring to the recently approved Ecosystem based approach guidelines. Its success is built on long-standing collaboration, shared ecosystem-based management principles, and strong regional ownership. MSP is closely linked to marine protection and ecosystem management objectives.
  The HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group, established in 2010, brings together both the environmental perspective through HELCOM and the spatial planning perspective through VASAB, creating a unique cross-sectoral governance structure. The revised EBA guidelines, adopted this year, make the approach more explicit through five elements: ecosystem integrity; social, cultural and economic considerations; comprehensiveness and coherence; integrative governance; adaptive management. A key strength is that the guidelines represent a jointly owned regional document, giving all Baltic Sea countries shared accountability across borders.
• North Sea
  In the North Sea, discussions focused on growing competition for maritime space. The main challenge is to identify practical pathways and trade-offs to balance offshore energy, nature restoration, fisheries, and other maritime activities. Scenario-building is increasingly used to support these decisions.
  The Greater North Sea Basin Initiative (GNSBI) spans a highly interconnected and extremely busy area, making the question of how to create space for new uses a pressing practical challenge. The shared vision already exists through the Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the SDGs. The real challenge is defining pathways, timelines, and spatial trade-offs to achieve it in the Greater North Sea Basin. Scenarios could be used for backcasting from these shared goals, covering spatial, ecological, social, and economic dimensions together, and should feed structured cross-sectoral transboundary dialogue. Concrete scenario horizons of 2040, 2050, 2070 and 2100 were discussed, and the GNSBI digital twin is currently being developed to support this work.
• Mediterranean Sea
  The Mediterranean faces greater complexity due to diverse governance systems and varying levels of MSP development. Nevertheless, strong environmental cooperation provides a common basis for action. MSP is increasingly seen as a tool for regional cooperation, trust-building, and sustainable blue economy development.
  Most Mediterranean countries are non-EU, with different national priorities and governance systems, and only a limited number have MSP in place, although countries such as Algeria and Tunisia are already developing regulations oriented toward maritime spatial planning.  The strongest common ground is 50 years of environmental cooperation through the Mediterranean Action Plan and the Barcelona Convention. Building on this, a two-track approach is being pursued: the Community of Practice brings together experts from 16 countries in an informal bottom-up format, launched by DG MARE and CINEA and supported by the WestMED initiative in 2023, while the Barcelona Convention working group provides political legitimacy through formal country representation. A roadmap under the ICZM Protocol is being finalized for adoption by all Contracting Parties, extending commitment to non-EU countries.

Participants agreed that growing pressures linked to offshore renewables, environmental protection, food security, and geopolitics make regional cooperation increasingly necessary.

Panel experts also highlighted that moving toward a sea-basin approach requires a gradual process that respects national authority: starting with harmonized data sharing, joint assessments, and informal dialogue platforms can gradually build a shared sea-basin perspective, both environmentally and in broader governance terms.

A major message throughout the discussions was that marine ecosystems do not follow national borders. Therefore, MSP and environmental governance need stronger transboundary and sea-basin approaches.

When it comes to the Ocean Act, panelists hoped for legislation that puts regional cooperation front and center, with a clear sense of purpose rather than a technical checklist. They also saw it as an opportunity to tackle the gaps where EU policies on environment, energy, and maritime affairs do not yet speak with one voice.