The Spanish MSP, Planes de Ordenación del Espacio Marítimo (POEM), was adopted on the 28th of February 2023 by the Council of Ministers by Royal Decree. It establishes plans for each of the five Spanish marine subdivisions: North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Estrecho and Alboran, Levantine-Balearic and Canary Islands.

Recognising the shift to creating a sustainable blue economy will rely on even closer engagement with stakeholders, from businesses large and small to local groups, to young people passionate about the health of our ocean and the public, the European Commission established the European Blue Forum in March 2023. Its goal is to contribute to global reflections about the seas and to help stakeholders identify solutions together to overcome these challenges. As part of the European Blue Forum, we are creating a community of different users of the sea passionate and committed to working together to achieve bold and tangible results in terms of nature protection and the fight against climate change. If you want to be part of shaping Europe’s “Sustainable Blue Economy” and to have your voice heard, then we have a space available for you!

To help Member States with the implementation, monitoring and revision of their Maritime Spatial Plans, three new European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) projects were launched: The MSPGreen project, the REGINA project and the ReMAP project. More information is available on the European MSP Platform!

The Romanian Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests launched a call for tenders last September 2022 to develop the National Strategy on Integrated Coastal Zone Managment (ICZM) and the associated Integrated Management Plan. The winning consortium composed of GeoEcoMar and Ovidius University, will develop a multi-sectoral political document to provide a medium and long-term vision for the use and sustainable development of Romania's coastal area.