Strengthening the capacity of MSP stakeholders and decision makers
Capacity4MSP
 
PROGRAMME 2014-2020
priority
2 Natural resources
objective
2.4 Blue growth

Capacity4MSP

Knowledge collected by Interreg, Horizon and other EU-funded projects helped maritime spatial planners review the implementation of national maritime spatial plans and set baselines for a coherent MSP across the Baltic Sea.
The challenge

Why Capacity4MSP?

In the last decade, a significant progress has been made in building cooperation networks and creating a strong policy background for maritime spatial planning (MSP) in the Baltic Sea region. Currently, nearly all countries around the Baltic Sea work on their maritime plans, which makes our region a front-runner in Europe and the world. The challenge, however, remains to harmonise national maritime spatial plans, implement, monitor and to evaluate them.

What's the platform about?

Capacity4MSP created a practically oriented and interactive collaboration platform for knowledge exchange and an intensified dialogue between MSP practitioners, policy- and decision makers and other stakeholders. Capacity4MSP built on the results of the current and recently completed MSP projects and ongoing MSP processes in the Baltic Sea region. It increased the visibility and impact of projects and built up on potential synergies. The platform deepened and widened the gained know-how across various sectors and governance levels by synthesising, amplifying and transferring the project outcomes to new practical solutions.

Projects represented in the platform:

Budgets

Capacity4MSP
in numbers
  • 1.09
    Million
    Total
  • 0.73
    Million
    Erdf
  • 0.15
    Million
    Eni + Russia
  • 0.00
    Million
    Norway

Achievements

Gathering the know-how in one place

The Capacity4MSP platform synthesised the knowledge gained in a dozen of maritime spatial planning (MSP) projects and practices within and beyond the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) co-funded by Interreg, Horizon 2020 and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. Based on this synthesis, the partners produced a report in order to inform and help national MSP decision- and policy-makers review the implementation of the existing MSP frameworks. The report proposed synergies between recurring important themes, but also criteria and indicators to assess the process, content and performance of the maritime spatial plans.

Speaking with one voice about maritime spatial planning

Moreover, the partners brought together MSP authorities, planners and actors from specific thematic sectors using the marine space to help harmonise MSP in the region. Together, they developed joint policy messages.

Complementarily to already existing HELCOM – VASAB working group, Capacity4MSP established a lasting mechanism to support more informal exchange among maritime spatial planners in the region through the Planners Forum. The Planners Forum will now regularly be held at least twice a year.

Impact on pan-Baltic cooperation

The project platform results helped shape new strategic policy documents of VASAB and HELCOM-VASAB cooperation. These materials also feed into the work and inspired the policy area Spatial Planning within the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea region, that is led by the Secretariats of pan-Baltic organisations VASAB and HELCOM. Project results contributed to setting the future agenda for the MSP in the region, particularly, to the new Regional Maritime Spatial Planning Roadmap 2021-2030, the HELCOM-VASAB MSP working group work plan 2022-2024, as well as update of the VASAB Long Term Perspective.

Outputs

Report on the experience from maritime spatial planning (MSP) projects in the Baltic Sea region

This report synthesises the knowledge gained from various MSP projects and practices within and beyond the Baltic Sea region. It screens and analyses the good practices in the themes important for the future of MSP in the Baltic Sea region. Based on this, it proposes synergies between themes, a list of activities of key importance for the development of BSR MSP (gaps in good practices, needs for further transnational co-operation), criteria and indicators for the process, content and performance of MSP. This report synthesises the knowledge gained from various MSP projects and practices within and beyond the Baltic Sea region. It screens and analyses the good practices in the themes important for the future of MSP in the Baltic Sea region. Based on this, it proposes synergies between themes, a list of activities of key importance for the development of BSR MSP (gaps in good practices, needs for further transnational co-operation), criteria and indicators for the process, content and performance of MSP. Link Full report: https://vasab.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Capacity4MSP_Synthesis_report.pdf A shorter version of this report in the format of as a policy brief addresses policy-makers. It emphasises the topics which require public support at the current stage of the MSP development in the Baltic Sea region (finalisation and adoption of marine plans). It focuses on issues which need to be improved and gaps with regard to shared common understanding and refers to supporting tools for practitioners in enhancing the development of MSP.

Report on Implementation and Monitoring & Evaluation Mechanisms of MSPs

The report on identified support mechanisms for the implementation of MSP was prepared based on analysis of MSPs in the region and interviews with all Baltic Sea region MSP planning authorities. The report contains research-based analysis, experiences and practical examples of implementation and support mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation of MSP. It highlights some good practices, lessons to be learned as well as challenges and obstacles in the practice of MSP implementation.

Report on MSP stakeholder involvement and engagement in maritime spatial planning

Capacity4MSP analysed key aspects of stakeholder involvement and engagement in MSP. It supports public authorities responsible for maritime spatial planning in ensuring the participatory process during all stages of the MSP. This report presents the research-based analysis, experiences and practical examples of stakeholder involvement approaches and methods in MSP.

Project Stories

  • 11.05.2021

    How water-smart ideas make the Baltic Sea region thrive

    From a rich marine life to beautiful vacation places, the Baltic Sea offers numerous resources that can be exploited to boost the economic growth of the region without harming its ecosystem. Interreg Baltic Sea Region funded multiple cooperation projects that have contributed to a sustainable and innovative blue economy. Good and successful examples of smart blue initiatives include ALLIANCE, Baltic Blue Growth, Capacity4MSP and Blue Platform.
    Read full story
  • 29.03.2021

    Cooperation as the key to a climate-neutral Baltic Sea region

    A common challenge for the countries in the Baltic Sea region is how to produce green and climate-neutral energy. In fact, as much as 75% of the EU greenhouse gas emissions still come from energy use and production. Cooperation and sharing good practices in Interreg projects, such as LowTEMP, Baltic Integrid and Area 21, can be a game-changer in accelerating the energy transition in the region.
    Read full story
  • 30.09.2020

    Great project pictures that tell great Interreg stories!

    More than seventy pictures competed in the Interreg Baltic Sea Region photo competition. Which projects were the best in illustrating transnational cooperation, grasping the essence of a project and its result, and presenting the 30th anniversary of Interreg? Congratulations to the teams of BalticRIM, RESQU2, Baltic Game Industry, EcoDesign Circle and GoSmart BSR!
    Read full story
  • 06.01.2020

    Interview: Exploiting offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea region

    The Baltic Sea region has great potential to generate offshore wind energy, but offshore grid development poses a major obstacle. The Interreg project Baltic InteGrid looked into meshed electricity grids, i.e. interconnecting offshore wind farms in order to achieve cost advantages and make more efficient use of maritime space. Thilo Krupp from the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation explains results and experiences from the project.
    Read full story
  • 15.07.2019

    Coherent planning of shipping and offshore energy across borders with Baltic LINes

    The Baltic Sea experiences an increasing demand for coherent spatial planning in order to bring shipping routes and offshore renewable energy infrastructure together. Project partners from nine countries worked across borders to tackle the challenge of scarce space available and competing economic interests of the different sectors active in and around the Baltic Sea in the Interreg project Baltic LINes.
    Read full story
  • 13.03.2018

    Helping spatial planners see the cultural heritage of the sea

    The Interreg project BalticRIM integrates maritime cultural heritage of the Baltic Sea into maritime spatial plans to safeguard it for the future. Matthias Maluck from the State Archaeological Department of Schleswig-Holstein explains what maritime cultural heritage is and why and how it should be preserved. BalticRIM frames cultural heritage of individual countries in a transnational perspective and thus delivers territorial cohesion.
    Read full story
  • 20.12.2016

    Making legal requirement accessible to establish an environmentally friendly aquaculture in the baltic sea

    Establishing environmentally friendly mussel aquaculture requires to follow necessary legal obligations in the EU. The project Baltic Blue Growth is making a concerted effort in explaining these requirements to its projects partners and others who are interested in pushing forward mussel aquaculture in the Baltic Sea.
    Read full story

Partners

State Regional Development Agency (VASAB)

  • Town
    Rīga
  • Region
    Rīga
  • Country
    Latvia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
249,000.00
56.949397724.1051846

SUCCEEDED by PP11 (01.10.2019) Maritime Institute in Gdańsk (MIG)

  • Town
    Gdansk
  • Region
    Gdański
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
0.00
54.3611928518.62860883362069

Aalborg University (AAU)

  • Town
    Copenhagen SV
  • Region
    Byen København
  • Country
    Denmark
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
100,000.00
55.686724312.5700724

Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM)

  • Town
    Göteborg
  • Region
    Västra Götalands län
  • Country
    Sweden
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
87,000.00
57.707232611.9670171

Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)

  • Town
    Helsinki
  • Region
    Helsinki-Uusimaa
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
113,000.00
60.167488124.9427473

Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (MoEPRD)

  • Town
    Rīga
  • Region
    Rīga
  • Country
    Latvia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
66,750.00
56.949397724.1051846

Scientific and Research Institute of Maritime Spatial Planning Ermak NorthWest Limited liability company (ErmakNW)

  • Town
    St. Petersburg
  • Region
    City of St. Petersburg
  • Country
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
90,022.50
59.91785735000000630.380619357025516

Submariner Network for Blue Growth EWIV

  • Town
    Berlin
  • Region
    Berlin
  • Country
    Germany
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
148,000.00
52.517036513.3888599

Russian State Hydrometeorological University (RSHU)

  • Town
    Saint-Petersburg
  • Region
    Leningrad Oblast
  • Country
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
89,300.00
59.91785735000000630.380619357025516

Gdynia Maritime University (GMU)

  • Town
    Gdansk
  • Region
    Gdański
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
146,200.00
54.3611928518.62860883362069