Maritime spatial planning: opportunities &; challenges in the framework of the EU integrated maritime policy

In recent years, maritime spatial planning (MSP) has become an internationally emerging, promising tool for the implementation of integrated ocean management. MSP provides the appropriate framework for public authorities and stakeholders to coordinate their action across sectors and administrative boundaries, and to optimize the use of natural resources. In November 2008 the European Commission adopted the Communication “Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning: Achieving Common Principles in the EU” (COM(2008) 791 final) aiming to facilitate the development of MSP by Member States and to stimulate its implementation at national and EU level. Core element of this Roadmap is a set of ten key principles for MSP in Europe. Although endorsed as valid and comprehensive, further discussion and research is needed to identify challenges, measures and tools for the key principle’s practical application. This special issue of the Journal of Coastal Conservation: Planning and Management (JCCPM) seeks to contribute to this discussion. Its purpose is to shed light from different angles on the various aspects of the mentioned ten key principles and provide lessons learned from experience in different maritime areas around the world. Taking a more scientific, rather than a political point of view, the following articles will debate the different principles, their practical handling, as well as the consequences linked to their application.