On 26 January 2023, CINEA together with DG MARE launched the Community of Practice on Maritime Spatial Planning for the Mediterranean, with the support of the WestMed Initiative. This is a voluntary expert group from EU and non-EU countries working on MSP in the Mediterranean.

There is a growing need for a continuous and structured dialogue within the MSP Community at the sea basin and sub-sea basin level. The main objective of the MED-MSP-CoP is to establish a permanent communication and dialogue across borders between experts on MSP (i.e. planners, technical experts, researchers), and to exchange knowledge and relevant experiences in the region, so as to reach a shared perspective on topics of common interest on MSP and enhance the cooperation between the north and the south of the Mediterranean.

The new Action Plan of the MED-MSP-CoP activities is now available, based on the discussion of the January workshop in Madrid and the co-developed recommendations. The document is available on the MED-MSP-CoP webpage.

The Action Plan should be considered a dynamic document, which might be adapted and evolved based on the progressive implementation of its activities. Details of several activities (e.g. specific contents of the workshops) will be specified progressively.

Upcoming activities include:

·       a webinar at the beginning of May on MSP and tourism

·       a webinar in June on the legacy of the MSP4BIO project for the Mediterranean

·       a workshop of the MED-MSP-CoP and its WGs on nature protection, fisheries, aquaculture and ORE in the last week of May.

More information and dates will be shared soon.