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. The territorial sea areas are under jurisdiction of the three coastal federal States: Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (regional terrestrial spatial planning systems of the federal states covering the territorial waters and coastal regions).
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
The Second Maritime Spatial Plan for the North Sea and the Baltic Sea was adopted through an Ordinance in September 2021. Germany is currently conducting a 2026 mid-term review of its MSP to determine whether a full revision is necessary. The monitoring and evaluation process for the German MSP was initiated in July 2025, with the involvement of a scientific advisory board comprising experts from regional development authorities, universities, and research institutes. The evaluation is expected to conclude in early 2027.
In 2025, Germany published its Site Development Plan, a strategic framework for offshore wind energy in the maritime sector. The plan outlines national goals for expanding offshore wind capacity while ensuring sustainable MSP. In October 2026, the second update to the 2025 site development plan was published. The targeted adjustments are aimed at improving the conditions for further expansion of offshore wind energy. The latest changes are intended to reduce wake effects and enable more efficient use of the designated sites.
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.truempler
bsh.de (kai[dot]truempler[at]bsh[dot]de)
Head of Directorate Spatial Planning
+4940319061000
Mr Hanno Salecker - hanno.saleckerbsh.de (hanno[dot]salecker[at]bsh[dot]de)
Head of Section Maritime Spatial Planning
+4940319061100
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.
