Joint HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning Working Group

A joint co-chaired Working Group on Maritime Spatial Planning was launched in October 2010 by the Helsinki Commission (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. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region has attributed HELCOM and VASAB a prominent role in promoting MSP in the region together with other stakeholders according to the Horizontal Action “Encourage the use of Maritime Spatial Planning in all Member States around the Baltic Sea and develop a common approach for cross-border cooperation”.

Achievements:

1.            Mandate for the joint HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG

The Mandate for the joint HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG was adopted by HELCOM and VASAB CSPD, setting out the overall aims of the Working Group as well as the anticipated tasks.

2.            Joint HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning principles

The HELCOM-VASAB Baltic Sea Broad–scale Maritime Spatial Planning Principles were adopted by HELCOM and VASAB CSPD in the end of 2010, fulfilling the commitment set out in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP, 2007) on creating MSP principles.

3.            HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG Work Plan

The Work Plan for the Working Group for the years 2010-2013 was approved at the Second Meeting of the Joint HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG.

Meetings of the joint HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group take place up to three times a year. The outcomes of the meetings can be found in the HELCOM Meeting Portal and on the VASAB home page.

The HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG will follow and examine as well as make use of the outcomes and findings of regional project activities relevant to MSP, such as Plan Bothnia and BaltSeaPlan.

Contacts:

Co-chairs:

Ms. Anita Mäkinen
Finnish Transport Safety Agency
P.O. Box 320
FI-00520 Helsinki
Phone: +358 401624592
E-mail: anita.makinen@trafi.fi

Mr. Andrzej Cieslak
Maritime Office in Gdynia
Ul. Chrzanowskiego 10
PL-81 338 Gdynia
Phone: +48 583553435
E-mail: cieslak@umgdy.gov.pl