EU to Hold Workshop on North Sea Energy and Maritime Spatial Planning

Authorities

January 21, 2015

Following the recent vote at the European Parliament that calls for a macro-regional strategy for the North Sea, the European Commission is organising a Workshop on “Regional cooperation on energy and maritime spatial planning in the North Sea” that will be held in Edinburgh (UK) on 29th January.

This event aims to bring together stakeholders from the energy, fisheries, transport, shipping and environmental fields, national authorities and representatives of existing cooperation bodies in the North Sea to discuss how to answer the energy challenges at sea-basin level in a strategic way.

The proceedings will be opened by a Representative of the Scottish Government as well as Bernhard Friess, Director at DG MARE in charge of this geographical area. During the discussions the CPMR –that was also involved in the organisation of the event – will be represented by Tom-Christer Nilsen, County Mayor of Hordaland Council and President of the CPMR North Sea Commission. Tom-Christer Nilsen will chair one of the sessions and participate in the work conclusions.

An economic heavyweight and the most densely used maritime and coastal space in Europe, the North Sea holds the highest potential in Europe for the development of offshore wind energy. Therefore, cooperation at sea-basin level has an essential role to play in reducing regulatory uncertainty, addressing the increasing risks of conflicts over space use with other sectors such as fisheries or transport, and creating the necessary strategic vision for the development of energy interconnections.