eMSP NBSR to contribute at workshop on Marine Spatial Planning in the North Sea (by NSAC)

The objective of this workshop is to explore the state of play of Marine Spatial Planning in view of the so-called spatial squeeze in the North Sea, and the role the NSAC can play in these processes through stakeholder engagement. If the NSAC can fulfil its mission and present itself as a forum for wider stakeholder engagement in fisheries and ecosystem management, this could result in management measures that are co-created by the stakeholders and therefore rendered more legitimate. Other topics explored will be transboundary cooperation, research priorities, multiuse and co-existence concepts, cumulative effects etc.

As the stakes and claims of different marine actors in the North Sea increase, the fisheries sector finds itself in the so-called spatial squeeze. In its quest to reconcile the food and energy security and ecosystem conservation, EU MSP is aiming to ensure all voices are heard in an equitable and pragmatic allocation of space to the benefit of its actors, citizens and biospheres upon which they rely, in processes that are increasingly transboudary.

The NSAC workshop on MSP will explore principles of timely stakeholder engagement and cross-border management, and notions of co-existence and multi-purpose platforms, among others. We will hear from multiple EU actors, the Commission, environemntal NGOs, the industry (energy and fishing), science, and Member States, including third countries such as the UK and Norway.

More information, programme and registration for participation (in person in Brussels) is here.

Prepared by Margarita Vološina (VASAB Secretariat) April, 2023