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Spain

Basic facts on Marine Waters

  • Spain's internal waters cover a total area of 7,674km2 and its territoral sea, out to 12 nautical miles (as defined by UNCLOS),covers 43,332km2.
  • Spain established an Exclusive Economic Zone in the Atlantic Ocean (Law 15/1978)
  • Spain established an Exclusive Economic Zone in the North-west Mediterranean Sea, by Royal Decree 236/2013 of 5 April 2013.
  • Spain has an agreement with Italy on the delimitation of the continental shelf according to the principle of equidistance. 
  • In 2006, Spain submitted information on the limits of the continental shelf claimed by Spain and three other coastal States in the area of the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscay. In 2010, an extension of the continental shelf was granted. Negotiations to share this area between the four coastal States are still in progress.

Relevant links

View best practices relevant for Spain
Go to West Mediterranean Sea basin page
Go to Atlantic Ocean page
Contact email:
westmed [at] maritime-spatial-planning.ec.europa.eu

Ongoing projects

View all projects for Spain
Back to all Countries

Maritime Spatial Plan(s) 

Status: Adopted

Spain adopted its maritime spatial plan, the Planes de Ordenación del Espacio Marítimo (POEM), in February 2023 by the Council of Ministers by Royal Decree.The period covered by the Maritime Spatial Planning Plans (POEM) in Spain is of six years and every six years they must be reviewed and fully updated to adapt to new environmental and economic needs (such as i.e. offshore wind or aquaculture).   It establishes plans for each of the five Spanish marine subdivisions: 

  • North Atlantic

  • South Atlantic

  • Estrecho and Alboran

  • Levantine-Balearic

  • Canary Islands. 

Access Spain's Maritime Spatial Plan

Access the Geographical Information System (GIS) for the Spanish MSP

Latest MSP developments

Spain is currently working on implementing measures to fulfil the objectives stated under section 2.3 of the Royal Decree 150/2023, approving the maritime spatial plans, and related to the environmental assessment of the plans and associated revisions. Currently, SPAIN is already advancing on workshops and preparing the next generation of plans, which will cover the cycle from 2028 to 2033.

Also, in June 2025, OSPAR Ministers agreed to extend the OSPAR Maritime Area to Macaronesia, encompassing the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. The enlargement adds more than 2.5 million km² of ocean to the OSPAR area and represents an important development for regional marine governance. For the Canary Islands, it strengthens the wider environmental and cooperation framework relevant to ecosystem-based Maritime Spatial Planning, marine environmental protection, MSFD implementation, environmental monitoring and marine conservation”.

MSP Legislation

The EU MSP Directive is transposed into national legislation through the Royal Decree 363/2017 on 8 April 2017 establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning.

National MSP authority 

Spain's Competent Authority for MSP is the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

Contacts:

Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, General Directorate for the Coast and the Sea
Ms. Marta Martínez-Gil Pardo de Vera
Assistant Deputy Director for the Protection of the Sea
MMGilatmiteco.es (MMGil[at]miteco[dot]es) 

Strategic Environmental Assessment
General Directorate of Environmental Quality and Assessment
D. Eugenio Jesús Domínguez Collado
Subdirector General de Evaluación Ambiental
Buzon-sgeaatmiteco.es (Buzon-sgea[at]miteco[dot]es)

Environmental Impact Assessment
General Directorate of Environmental Quality and Assesment
D. Eugenio Jesús Domínguez Collado
Subdirector General de Evaluación Ambiental

For more information  

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

Spain Country Profile.pdf
English
(883.08 KB - PDF)
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