Assessment of the Maritime Spatial Plan of Belgium: Alignment of Belgium’s Maritime Spatial Planwith EU environmental objectives
Walsh, C. (2022). Assessment of the Maritime Spatial Plan of Belgium: Alignment of Belgium’s Maritime Spatial Plan
with EU environmental objectives. Birdlife International: Cambridge. 21 pp.
Belgium’s marine space is under very intensive use. The Belgian maritime spatial plan sets out clear objectives within a long-term perspective. It makes explicit spatial choices and provides a robust framework for decision-making at project level. The maritime spatial plan has been prepared following a thorough strategic environmental assessment which indicates that current and planned activities risk substantial adverse impact on the marine environment. The maritime spatial plan does not include sufficient measures to mitigate these impacts and protect sensitive ecosystems. Shipping, offshore wind and commercial fishing place the most substantial impacts on the marine environment. It must be considered very unlikely that the volume and density of planned activity within these sectors is compatible with the achievement of Good Environmental Status as required under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. It may be noted that proposed restrictions on fishing activity within a Natura 2000 marine protected area have not been implemented due to an apparent incompatibility with EU legislation.This serves to illustrate the implications of inherent contradictions between the objectives of EU sectoral and environmental policies and legal frameworks.
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