The project aims to pool cooperation efforts to support the implementation of the European Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive (Directive 2014/89/EU) in the marine territories of the European Outermost Regions (OR) of Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain) and French Guiana (France). Despite the different stages of development of their MSP processes, these ORs share common challenges. Co-funded by the European Commission through CINEA – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environmental Executive Agency (GA no. 101035822 – MSP-OR – EMFF-MSP-2020), MSP-OR focuses on advancing the implementation of the MSP processes in those regions, as well as the transfer of knowledge and best practices resulting from the previous MarSP project.

FRCT’s project responsibilities/tasks:
FRCT leads the MSP-OR project, assuming the responsibility for the coordination and management of the project (work package 1 – Coordination & Management), ensuring its effective implementation: technical, administrative, and financial components and the articulation with the funding entity. FRCT also assumes the leadership of the MSP-OR Ocean Governance Platform (work package 2) and the MSP-OR Communication & Dissemination (work package 6), ensuring the visibility and dissemination of the main results. FRCT follows the remaining activities, namely in the involvement of stakeholders linked to the MSP.

Impact on SCTA:
MSP-OR will continue to support competent authorities of Member States and their respective Regions in the implementation of European MSP Directive (Directive 2014/89/EU). The MSP-OR will support in the Azores the continuity of its MSP implementation process, especially regarding:

- filling knowledge gaps to better support decision making;
- progress of the ecosystem approach applied to the management of the maritime space;
- development of monitoring and evaluation of the MSP processes and;
- further promotion of inter-institutional relationships.


Other Regional Institutions involved: in the Azores, the project has the partnership of the Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs (DRAM), the regional authority with competencies for implementing MSP in the Azores, as well as the involvement and support of scientific teams from the University of the Azores.