| The European Maritime Spatial Planning Platform

This map was compiled from different international sources such as EMODnet, EEA or Marine Regions. Information obtained from these sources was cross-checked with data from national sources. While compilation was carried out by the European MSP Platform, validation and quality assurance remain the responsibility of the primary data sources.

Basic facts on Marine Waters

Germany's Baltic Sea area: internal water (to the baseline) and territorial sea out to 12 nautical miles (as defined by UNCLOS) cover a total area of approximately 10,900 km² . The Exclusive Economic Zone (as defined by UNCLOS) covers an area of 4,500 km².
Germany's North Sea area: internal water (to the baseline) and territorial sea out to 12 nautical miles (as defined by UNCLOS) cover a total area of approximately 12,500 km². The Exclusive Economic Zone (as defined by UNCLOS) covers an area of 28,500 km².

Relevant links

View best practices relavant for Germany

Go to Baltic Sea basin page

Go to North Sea basin page

Contact email:

northsea [at] maritime-spatial-planning.ec.europa.eu

View all projects for Germany

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Maritime Spatial Plan(s)

Status: Adopted

Germany adopted its first maritime spatial plan in 2009 for the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Germany's first Maritime Spatial Plan is available here

Germany's second maritime spatial plan entered into force in September 2021 and covers the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and the territorial sea areas under jurisdiction of the three coastal federal States: Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Germany's second Maritime Spatial Plan is available here

View the Supporting Document to the Maritime Spatial Plan for the EEZ 2021 (in English)

The Geographical Information System (GIS) for the German MSP is available here

Latest MSP developments

In November 2023, the BSH (Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency) publicly announced the initiation of a preliminary site investigation in the North Sea Exclusive Economic Zone, for offshore wind farm development. It targets sites N-13.1, N-13.2 and N-6.8 which are to be tendered between 2026 and 2027. Comments on the draft investigation framework were invited until January 2024. The preliminary draft of the Site Development Plan was reviewed and made publicly available for international consultation in early 2024 on BSH website.

Next steps

The sites N-13.1, N-13.2, N-6.8 in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the North Sea are to be put out to public tender in 2026 (N-13.1 and N-13.2) and in 2027 (N-6.8). The translations of site development plan will be published in 2024.

For more information please click here

MSP legislation

The national legal basis for MSP is the general Spatial Planning Act („Raumordnungsgesetz“/ROG), which was made applicable to the EEZ in 2004*. The Spatial Planning Act provides the legal basis for the “Maritime Spatial Plan for the EEZ of the Baltic Sea” and the “Maritime Spatial Plan for the EEZ of the North Sea”. The EEZ is governed at the federal level, the territorial sea is an integrated part of the (terrestrial) spatial plans of the coastal federal states. In addition to ROG, the legal basis for these plans is provided by the respective spatial planning law of each federal state.

*The amendment of the ROG in 2004 extended the scope of spatial planning according to the guidelines of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to include EEZ, and allocated planning powers to the Federal Government for the EEZ in the North and Baltic Seas (beyond the 12-nautical mile zone (territorial waters) outward to up to 200 nautical miles).

National MSP authority

Germany's competent authority for MSP is the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community

Contacts:

Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH)
Mr Kai Trümpler - kai.truemplerbsh.de (kai[dot]truempler[at]bsh[dot]de)
Head of Unit Maritime Spatial Planning
+494031906100

Internal Waters and the Territorial Sea:

Schleswig-Holstein
frank.liebrenzstk.landsh.de (State Chancellery of the State Schleswig-Holstein)
Mr Frank Liebrenz - frank.liebrenzstk.landsh.de (frank[dot]liebrenz[at]stk[dot]landsh[dot]de)
+494319881734

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Ministry of Energy, Infrastructure and State Development Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Ms Petra Schmidt-Kaden - petra.schmidt-kadenem.mv-regierung.de (petra[dot]schmidt-kaden[at]em[dot]mv-regierung[dot]de)
+493855888400

Lower Saxony
petra.sewigml.niedersachsen.de (Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection)
Petra Sewig - petra.sewigml.niedersachsen.de (petra[dot]sewig[at]ml[dot]niedersachsen[dot]de)
+495111208639

For more information

For more information regarding the evolution of the MSP process in Germany please see the dedicated country profile below.

Germany Country Profile.pdf

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Germany