The Working Group was established to ensure cooperation among the Baltic Sea Region countries for coherent regional Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) processes in the Baltic Sea.
Ongoing
Questions this practice may help answer
How can MSP cooperation be organised at sea-basin level?
Implementation context
A joint co-chaired Working Group on Maritime Spatial Planning was launched in October 2010 by HELCOM and the Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (VASAB) Committee on Spatial Planning and Development of the Baltic Sea Region (CSPD/BSR). The Working Group was established to ensure cooperation among the Baltic Sea Region countries for coherent regional Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) processes in the Baltic Sea. The decision to set up this group was made at the HELCOM Moscow Ministerial Meeting on 20 May 2010, promoted by the VASAB Ministerial Declaration on 16 October 2009 in Vilnius.
Aspects / Objectives
The HELCOM-VASAB Working Group aims at ensuring cooperation among the Baltic Sea Region countries for coherent regional Maritime Spatial Planning processes. While doing this, the working group follows up the actions decided 2009 in VASAB Long Term Perspective for the Territorial Development of the Baltic Sea Region as well as the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan 2007.
Method
The working group meets up to three times a year to discuss pertinent issues. Participation is open to representatives from relevant ministries or government agencies in all VASAB and HELCOM member countries / contracting parties as well as for experts delegated by them. Relevant third parties can be invited to take part in meetings as observers.
The frame for the more detailed work plans of the HELCOM-VASAB MSP was defined in the Regional Baltic Maritime Spatial Planning Roadmap.
The HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group follows and examines as well as makes use of the outcomes and findings of regional project activities relevant to MSP, such as Plan Bothnia, BaltSeaPlan, PartiSEApate and Baltic SCOPE.
Main Outputs / Results
Besides member states maintaining close ties through regular meetings, the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group has been implementing the work plan by agreeing on a number of documents. A selection of key
outputs is listed below:
- Baltic Sea Broad-Scale Maritime Spatial Planning Principles
- Guidelines on transboundary consultations, public participation and cooperation
- Guideline for the implementation of ecosystem-based approach in Maritime Spatial Planning in the Baltic Sea area
Furthermore, the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group established the BSR MSP Data expert sub-group, which supports data, information and evidence exchange for MSP processes with regard to cross-border and trans-boundary planning issues.
Transferability
The HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group can serve as an example for organising sea-basin cooperation on MSP.
Contact PersonS
Anita Mäkinnen
Co-chair of the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group
Finnish Transport Safety Agency
Email: anita.makinen
trafi.fi
Phone: +358 401624592
Andrzej Cieslak
Co-chair of the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group
Maritime Office in Gdynia
Email: cieslakumgdy.gov.pl
Phone: +48 583553435
Responsible Entity
HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group
Costs / Funding Sources
Costs for the participants including travel costs to meetings will be covered by the delegating institutions. Direct costs for meetings will be borne by the host country if not arranged within HELCOM or VASAB Secretariat premises. Staff support from the VASAB and HELCOM Secretariats will be provided for technical support (e.g. preparation of meeting documents including minutes, registration of participants, etc.) and Secretariat attendance at meetings.