Within the Capacity4MSP project platform the Scientific and Research Institute of Maritime Spatial Planning Ermak NothWest (ErmakNW) and the Russian State Hydrometeorological University is focusing on drafting the MSP Roadmap in order to stimulate the implementation of MSP in Russia. To promote this progress, on 23 September 2020, ErmakNW together with MIREA - the Russian Technological University held an information workshop “Maritime spatial planning in the Russian Federation. Why does Russia need it?" for representatives of national and regional authorities. The event was organized in Moscow in a full-time and remote format.

Back-to-back with the 14th meeting of the Baltic Sea Region MSP Data Expert Sub-group (BSR MSP Data ESG) a workshop dedicated to the BASEMAPS data portal was organised online on 16 September 2020. Workshop was organised within the activities of the project platform Capacity4MSP. 16 participants from 7 HELCOM Contracting Parties as well as from the HELCOM and VASAB Secretariats attended the workshop.

The latest VASAB newsletter meets you at the end of August 2020.

National Coordinators of the EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region have approved the revised Action Plan of the Strategy in their online Meeting on 29-30 June this year. The revised Action Plan will enter into force after completion of the Commission´s internal procedure and it will be published as a Commission Staff Working Document (SWD), it is expected to happen in the beginning of 2021.

Capacity4MSP project platform has been granted Flagship status by the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) under the Horizontal Action Spatial Planning. The decision was made at the online meeting on 29-30 June by the National Coordinators of the EUSBSR.

LITHUANIAN CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE VASAB COMMITTEE ON SPATIAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE BALTIC SEA REGION   The VASAB Committee on Spatial Planning and Development of the Baltic Sea Region (VASAB CSPD/BSR) was chaired by Lithuania from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2021.