Formation à la planification spatiale marine intégrée & à l'économie bleue à Bruxelles

Présentation du programme

Sea space is now contested in almost every coastal state. Offshore wind farms, grid cables, shipping lanes, ports, fishing grounds, aquaculture sites, sand extraction, defence areas and marine protected areas all compete for the same waters, and the decisions that allocate that space shape investment, jobs and ecosystem health for decades. Marine spatial planning (MSP) is the public process that brings these uses into one plan, with clear zones, rules and review cycles.

Europe offers a mature reference point. The EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (2014/89/EU) requires the 22 Member States with marine waters to adopt and regularly review maritime spatial plans, and a Commission study published in January 2026 found that recent plan updates are being driven by offshore renewables, biodiversity protection, grid and port development, defence and security, and simpler governance. The Commission is now preparing a European Ocean Act, consulted on between April and July 2026, which is expected to modernise maritime spatial planning with a stronger sea-basin approach.

The economic stakes are significant. The EU Blue Economy Report 2025 records about 4.8 million jobs and roughly EUR 250 billion in gross value added in the established blue economy sectors in 2022, with coastal tourism the largest employer and offshore wind among the fastest-growing activities. Outside Europe, the High Seas Treaty (the BBNJ Agreement) entered into force on 17 January 2026, adding area-based management tools and environmental impact assessment rules for waters beyond national jurisdiction.

This Integrated Marine Spatial Planning and Sustainable Blue Economy Training in Brussels brings planners, regulators, sector agencies and project teams together in the city where EU ocean policy is made. Belgium manages one of the most intensively used sea areas in Europe and adopted its third marine spatial plan, covering 2026 to 2034, in March 2026. Participants work through the full MSP cycle using real plans, financed programmes and blue finance instruments as case material.

Risalat works in partnership with participating institutions, building sessions around the plans and data each team brings.

Le programme renforce les capacités institutionnelles en matière de

• Designing and leading a national or regional MSP process
• Establishing legal mandates and inter-agency coordination for MSP
• Applying the ecosystem-based approach to sea-use decisions
• Building marine spatial data infrastructure and use inventories
• Assessing conflicts and compatibilities between sea uses
• Allocating space for offshore renewable energy and grid connections
• Integrating marine protected areas and restoration zones
• Planning for fisheries and sustainable aquaculture
• Running structured stakeholder engagement and consultation
• Planning for climate change, sea-level rise and shifting stocks
• Coordinating across borders and sea basins
• Linking MSP to blue economy strategies and investment pipelines
• Using blue bonds, debt conversions and trust funds
• Monitoring, evaluating and revising plans on a fixed cycle
• Preparing for obligations under the BBNJ Agreement

Institutions move from scattered sector permits to a coherent, reviewable plan.

The Growing Importance of Marine Spatial Planning and the Blue Economy

Demand for sea space is rising faster than many planning systems were designed to handle. In Belgium, the 2020 to 2026 plan designated the Princess Elisabeth Zone, a 285 square kilometre area for up to 3.5 GW of new offshore wind, and the transmission operator Elia is building an artificial energy island 45 km offshore to connect it. Decisions of this scale need a spatial plan that has already settled navigation, fishing, nature and cable corridors.

Globally, MSP has become a condition for credible blue finance. When Seychelles converted USD 21.6 million of sovereign debt with The Nature Conservancy, the deal included a commitment to a national marine spatial plan and to protect 30% of its exclusive economic zone; it was followed in 2018 by the world’s first sovereign blue bond, which raised USD 15 million with a World Bank guarantee. The World Bank’s PROBLUE trust fund, extended to 2030, supported about 223 activities in 89 economies by March 2024, including work on government capacity to manage marine resources.

International commitments add pressure. At the UN Ocean Conference in Nice in June 2025, more than 170 countries adopted the declaration Our ocean, our future, and the IOC-UNESCO and European Commission joint MSP Roadmap 2022 to 2027 continues to support climate-smart and transboundary planning worldwide.

Les organisations ont de plus en plus besoin de professionnels capables de :

• Translating national ocean policy into spatial zones and rules
• Compiling and quality-assuring marine spatial data
• Forecasting demand for offshore energy, ports and aquaculture
• Running conflict and compatibility analysis between uses
• Designing multi-use areas, for example wind farms with passive fisheries
• Integrating protected area targets into allocation decisions
• Conducting strategic environmental assessment of plan options
• Facilitating consultation with fishers, industry and communities
• Negotiating transboundary arrangements with neighbouring states
• Drafting plan regulations and permit conditions
• Designing indicators and monitoring programmes
• Linking plans to investment and blue finance instruments
• Preparing for high-seas obligations under BBNJ

Strong marine spatial planning systems help organisations:

• Give investors predictable locations and timelines
• Reduce permit disputes and legal challenges
• Protect biodiversity while enabling growth
• Secure space for food production and coastal livelihoods
• Plan grid and port infrastructure ahead of demand
• Coordinate defence, security and civilian uses
• Adapt to climate impacts on coasts and stocks
• Demonstrate credible commitments to financiers and partners
• Review plans on evidence rather than pressure

The question for ministries is no longer whether to plan the sea, but how to run a plan that is legally sound and trusted.

Who Should Attend This Marine Spatial Planning Training?

Ce programme s'adresse à :

• Directors and planners in ministries of environment, maritime affairs and planning
• Marine and coastal management agencies
• Fisheries and aquaculture authorities
• Energy ministries and offshore renewable energy regulators
• Port authorities and maritime administrations
• Transmission system operators and grid planners
• Environmental protection and marine protected area agencies
• Coastal zone management units of regional and local government
• Blue economy and ocean policy units
• Project implementation units of World Bank, EU and UN-financed coastal projects
• Marine scientists and spatial data specialists
• Environmental and social assessment practitioners
• Offshore wind, aquaculture and tourism developers
• Conservation NGOs and community organisations
• Consultants and advisers supporting MSP processes
• Defence and coastguard liaison officers

Mixed teams from one country gain most, because MSP depends on agencies planning together.

Marine Spatial Planning Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Marine Spatial Planning Training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the purpose, principles and legal foundations of MSP, including Directive 2014/89/EU
• Apply the ecosystem-based approach to marine planning decisions
• Set up the authority, mandate and governance for an MSP process
• Plan the collection and mapping of ecological, oceanographic and socio-economic data
• Prepare a cadastre of current sea uses and estimate future spatial demand
• Analyse conflicts and compatibilities and design multi-use options
• Develop a planning vision and alternative scenarios
• Run inclusive stakeholder engagement and handle trade-offs
• Apply strategic environmental assessment and cost-benefit tools
• Draft zoning maps, plan regulations and implementation measures
• Design monitoring indicators and a review cycle
• Link MSP to blue economy strategies and finance instruments

Each objective is tied to a workshop output, so participants leave with tested drafts rather than notes alone.

Contenu et structure du programme

Marine Spatial Planning Training Methodology

The programme uses adult learning methods built around real plans and the participants’ own sea areas. Short expert inputs are followed by applied work in mixed teams.

Le programme associe :

• Focused expert presentations on frameworks and practice
• Case studies of adopted marine spatial plans
• Readiness self-assessment against the EU Directive’s requirements
• Stakeholder role plays and mock hearings
• Compatibility matrices and multi-criteria scoring exercises
• Map-based group work on zoning options
• Analysis of blue finance transactions
• Revue par les pairs entre équipes pays
• Technical visits linked to EU ocean policy and North Sea planning
• Development of a team MSP roadmap
• Facilitated action planning for follow-up

Daily feedback shapes the following sessions.

Visites techniques et programme sur site

Where schedules allow, the programme includes technical visits that show MSP in practice. These may include briefings with institutions working on EU ocean and maritime policy in Brussels and a visit to the Belgian coast to discuss North Sea planning, offshore energy, port activity and marine research. All visits are confirmed with host organisations closer to the programme dates, and the final schedule is shared with participants in advance.

Résultats attendus

Upon completion of this Marine Spatial Planning Training, participants will be able to:

• Lead or contribute to an MSP process with a clear mandate and work plan
• Specify the data and mapping needed for their sea area
• Identify and resolve conflicts between competing uses
• Prepare zoning options supported by assessment evidence
• Engage stakeholders in a structured and transparent way
• Integrate protection targets and climate risk into plans
• Link plans to blue economy investment and finance
• Set indicators and a review cycle for their plan
• Brief senior leaders on MSP options and trade-offs

Participants return with a draft roadmap, tools and a peer network they can draw on during implementation.

Institutional Application of Marine Spatial Planning Training

Ce programme aide les organisations à renforcer :

• Legal and institutional frameworks for MSP
• Inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms
• Marine data infrastructure and data-sharing agreements
• Spatial allocation for offshore energy and grids
• Fisheries and aquaculture spatial management
• Marine protected area networks
• Environmental assessment of plans and projects
• Stakeholder consultation procedures
• Transboundary and sea-basin cooperation
• Monitoring and plan review systems
• Blue economy investment planning
• Readiness for BBNJ implementation

Les participants repartent avec des outils pratiques pour améliorer :

• MSP readiness assessment grid
• Sea-use cadastre template
• Conflict and compatibility matrix
• Stakeholder mapping and engagement plan
• Multi-criteria scoring sheet for zoning options
• Plan regulation drafting checklist
• MSP indicator framework
• Blue finance options note

Institutions that want to map their wider capacity before or after the programme can use Risalat’s free institutional capacity assessment or the training needs assessment to target follow-up support.

Pertinence régionale & mise en application

Europe

EU Member States are in their second or third planning cycles, with updates driven by offshore renewables, biodiversity targets, grid and port needs and defence. The planned European Ocean Act and the revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive mean planning teams will need to align MSP with wider marine environmental goals.

Afrique

Coastal and island states are linking MSP to blue economy strategies and finance. Seychelles shows how a marine plan, a protection commitment and blue finance can be designed together, and World Bank PROBLUE support helps governments build the capacity to manage marine resources.

Moyen-Orient

Coastal development, port expansion, desalination and tourism place heavy demands on enclosed seas; MSP helps balance these projects with fisheries and sensitive habitats.

Asie

Asian coastal economies face competition between aquaculture, shipping, reclamation and new offshore wind, and shared seas make transboundary planning, a focus of the IOC-UNESCO and European Commission MSP Roadmap, especially relevant.

Pacifique

Pacific island states manage very large ocean areas relative to land. At the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, French Polynesia pledged a marine protected area covering its whole exclusive economic zone, showing the scale at which Pacific planning operates.

Amérique latine

Latin American states balance marine protection, coastal tourism and artisanal fisheries; MSP helps reconcile these goals and plan for climate impacts.

Across regions, the shared need is clear authority, good data and stakeholder trust.

Profil du pays d'accueil – Belgique

Brussels hosts the main EU institutions, including the Commission services responsible for maritime affairs and fisheries, along with many international organisations, industry associations and NGOs. Participants can see how European ocean policy is designed and negotiated.

Belgium is a useful benchmark because its marine area is small, about 3,454 square kilometres or roughly 0.5% of the North Sea, yet intensively used for shipping, offshore wind, sand extraction, fishing and nature protection. It adopted its first marine spatial plan in 2014, its second for 2020 to 2026, and a third for 2026 to 2034 by Royal Decree on 19 March 2026. Around 37% of Belgian waters are marine protected areas, and the Princess Elisabeth Zone and energy island show how energy infrastructure can be planned through MSP.

Brussels is well connected by air and high-speed rail. Belgium applies Schengen visa rules, so many participants will need a short-stay Schengen visa; Risalat provides visa support letters and advice, and participants should check current requirements with the Belgian diplomatic mission in their country.

Marine Spatial Planning Training Deliverables

Les participants bénéficient d'un accompagnement complet avant, pendant et après le programme.

Avant le programme

• Pré-évaluation des participants
• Marine Spatial Planning Readiness Assessment
• Marine Spatial Planning Resource Pack
• Lectures préparatoires
• Aide et conseils gratuits pour le visa
• Accueil à l'aéroport & assistance à l'arrivée
• Hébergement avec petit-déjeuner
• Dîner de bienvenue et de réseautage

Pendant le programme

• Kit de formation Risalat (sac, gourde, mug, t-shirt, casquette, protège-passeport, stylos, carnet, magnet & porte-clés)
• Comprehensive Marine Spatial Planning Training Manual
• MSP Readiness Assessment Grid
• Sea-Use Cadastre and Data Inventory Template
• Conflict and Compatibility Matrix
• Modèle de plan de mobilisation des parties prenantes
• Multi-Criteria Zoning Scoring Sheet
• MSP Monitoring Indicator Framework
• Ateliers pratiques & simulations
• Discussions de groupe & apprentissage entre pairs
• Déjeuner et pauses-café quotidiens
• Accès complet aux installations du lieu de formation
• Mini tablette avec supports pédagogiques numériques
• Visite de terrain (le cas échéant)
• Visite récréative de la ville

Après le programme

• Certificat de participation
• Distinction Risalat de participation au programme
• Documents de référence après la formation
• Team MSP Roadmap
• Blue Finance Options Briefing Note
• Plan Review Checklist
• Accompagnement après la formation & conseils de suivi
• Rapport du programme

Ministries, agencies and project teams can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme built around their own sea area and planning cycle. Request a proposal or browse related programme categories.

Common Challenges in Marine Spatial Planning and the Blue Economy, And How This Training Helps

How can we start MSP when no single agency has a clear mandate?

The First Day readiness review and the Second Day sessions on authority and coordination show how other countries assigned a lead agency, set up inter-ministerial committees and gave plans legal force.

How do we plan with incomplete marine data?

The Second Day covers stocktaking, sea-use cadastres and data infrastructure, with practical ways to start from existing data and improve it through each review cycle.

How can we resolve conflicts between fishing, shipping and offshore energy?

The Third Day workshop uses compatibility matrices, multi-criteria scoring and multi-use design to reach defensible zoning options.

How do we keep stakeholders engaged and the plan credible?

The Third Day sessions on engagement and the mock hearing show how to structure consultation, record decisions and explain trade-offs.

How can MSP attract finance for the blue economy?

The Fourth Day case study on Seychelles and the session on blue bonds, debt conversions and multilateral programmes link planning to investment.

How do we prepare for obligations beyond national jurisdiction?

The Fourth Day session on UNCLOS and the BBNJ Agreement explains area-based management tools and impact assessment rules now in force.

How do we make sure the plan is implemented and reviewed?

The Fifth Day covers permits, enforcement, indicators and review cycles, and the capstone roadmap sets out the first actions for each team.

Questions fréquentes

Who is this marine spatial planning training for?

Planners and managers in ministries and agencies responsible for the environment, fisheries, energy, ports and coastal zones, project teams on coastal and ocean projects, and consultants supporting MSP processes.

Does the programme cover the EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive?

Yes. Day 1 covers Directive 2014/89/EU, findings of the January 2026 implementation study and the planned European Ocean Act, and participants use the Directive's requirements as a readiness checklist.

Is the training only relevant to European countries?

No. European practice is used as a benchmark, but case studies include Seychelles and international frameworks such as the BBNJ Agreement and the IOC-UNESCO MSP Roadmap, and each team works on its own sea area.

Are technical visits included?

Where schedules allow, the programme includes briefings and visits related to EU ocean policy and North Sea planning. All visits are confirmed with host organisations before the programme.

Ce programme peut-il être dispensé en intra ?

Yes. Institutions can request a tailored version built around their own marine area, data and planning cycle through Risalat's request a proposal form.

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