Regional cooperation
There are two international conventions to protect the sensitive environments of the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean: HELCOM and OSPAR respectively. A special forum for spatial planning, Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (VASAB), is a collaboration between the ministers responsible for spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region. GNSBI and the North Sea Collaboration Group for Marine Planning are collaborations concerning marine planning issues in the North Sea.
The Baltic Sea
HELCOM and VASAB
Marine spatial planning work is based on the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) within HELCOM and the Long - Term Perspective for the Territorial Development of the Baltic Sea Region within VASAB.
HELCOM and VASAB jointly adopted the principles of maritime spatial planning in the Baltic Sea in 2010. At the same time, a joint working group for marine spatial planning was formed, with the participation of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. The group is named Joint HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group and has developed roadmaps for marine spatial planning and guidelines for how the ecosystem approach should be applied in marine spatial planning as well as for how cooperation between marine spatial planners should take place. There is a data expert group to support the work. The group has contributed to the publication of the Baltic Sea countries' marine spatial plans in the map tool Basemaps. SwAM is taking part in the group´s work.
Marine spatial planning practitioners from countries around the Baltic Sea have also been exchanging knowledge and experience about marine spatial planning in so called Planners’ forum, since around 2018. The work is interlinked with the processes within the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group. The forums are aiming at enhancing coherent planning across borders in the Baltic and are acting as a practical dissemination and collaboration platform, supporting ongoing national and regional marine spatial planning processes and implementation of marine spatial planning policy.
North Atlantic Ocean
OSPAR
Within the marine spatial planning framework, SwAM supports the workgroup Intersessional Correspondence Group on Offshore Renewable Energy Development (ICG-ORED) in matters relating to the development of renewable offshore energy. The group was established in 2021 by the European network Ospar. It is led by the Netherlands, and has Sweden and Great Britain as co-conveners. In addition to supporting the group's progress, SwAM has had a particular focus on the development of a framework for assessing cumulative environmental effects. The work carried out within ICG-ORED is directly relevant to marine spatial planning work in Sweden.
Greater North Sea Basin Initiative (GNSBI)
GNSBI was formed on the initiative of the Netherlands and France in November 2023 to create a dialogue platform focusing on marine planning, energy, fisheries/aquaculture and nature conservation in the greater North Sea basin. The aim is to strengthen transboundary ecosystem-based marine management in response to spatial and ecological challenges. The following countries are part of the GNSBI collaboration: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The Swedish Government Office and representatives from several national agencies, including the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, are involved in GNSBI.
North Seas Maritime Spatial Planning Collaboration Group
The North Seas Maritime Spatial Planning Collaboration Group brings together maritime spatial planning authorities from the greater North Sea Region for coordination and joint work. The group focuses on transnational and cross-border topics for greater coherence in planning, strengthening relations between relevant processes and sharing information and experiences. The group was formed in 2021 and is chaired by the Netherlands and co-chaired by Sweden.
