The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge is processing the Maritime Space Plans, which are pending approval after being submitted for public information.
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge is processing the Maritime Space Plans for the five Spanish marine demarcations, which must be approved by the State Government once they have been submitted for public information, together with the Strategic Environmental Study for 45 working days, which ended on 8 September.
The planning of maritime space is regulated by Law 41/2010, of 29 December, about the protection of the marine environment – which incorporates into Spanish law the Directive 2008/56/EC, of 17 June, which establishes the framework for Community action for marine environmental policy – and by Royal Decree 363/2017, of 8 April, which establishes a framework for the planning of maritime space. These rules regulate the principles, criteria and objectives of maritime spatial planning, which become the cornerstone of maritime spatial planning, with the aim of achieving the objectives of European environmental policy and, specifically, to ensure the protection and preservation of the marine environment.
The planning of the maritime space that affect the Catalan coast is the Maritime Space Plan for the “Levantine-Balearic” demarcation. As in all marine demarcations, the Maritime Space Plan for the “Levantine-Balearic” demarcation establishes the planning criteria and objectives to be achieved, a diagnosis of the current situation of the demarcation (in terms of uses, activities, environmental values, etc.) is made and, based on this, the uses or activities permitted in the maritime space by delimiting different areas where the development of future uses and activities is foreseen, or, on the contrary, their protection due to their environmental values.
With regard to the planning of permitted uses or activities in maritime space, the Maritime Spatial Plans distinguishes between those that are of general interest (such as preservation of protected areas, mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change, securing freshwater supply and water supply, including desalination, sanitation, water purification and quality, national defence, surveillance, control and maritime security, maritime research and development, maritime research and development, control and maritime safety, scientific research or the protection of underwater cultural heritage), from those linked to the development of economic activities in the maritime sector (such as aquaculture, extractive fishing, the energy-hydrocarbon sector, the energy-renewable sector, the electricity transport and telecommunications sector, shipping, port activity or tourism and recreational activities).
Thus, for example, the Maritime Space Plan proposal for the “Levantine-Balearic” demarcation delimits various zones for the protection of biodiversity coinciding with areas that are subject to environmental protection, areas for priority use for national defence, areas for priority use for the extraction of aggregates for coastal protection, but also areas considered suitable for the development of offshore floating wind energy, including the priority use area for offshore wind energy identified as “LEBA 2”, which is located in the area of Cap de Creus, the Gulf of Roses and the Bay of Pals, and which is generating a lot of controversy, due to the proposal to install a large floating wind farm in this area. The Maritime Spatial Plan proposal also identifies areas of high potential (which are not considered to be of priority use) for the development of wind energy on the coast of the Menorca island.
All the documentation related to the Marítim Space Plans and its Strategic Environmental Study can be consulted at the following link: https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/costas/participacion-publica/00-consulta-ambiental-poem.aspx
Signed by: Xavier Soy Ros and Mireia Pérez Costal
