WindEurope’s response to the Commission’s Call for evidence on the Oceans Act

Overview

This Act will revise the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (dated from 2014). It seeks to improve the effective implementation of maritime governance in the EU.

Our response is based on 3 key points:

1. The MSP Directive is working well for offshore wind. It has enabled Member States to allocate sufficient sea space for offshore wind, align maritime planning with NECPs, and reduce investment and permitting risks. It has promoted centralised zoning and tendering, which ensures high environmental standards through SEA and project-level EIA.



2. MSP is essential to manage coexistence and reduce conflicts in increasingly crowded seas. The MSP framework has proven effective in tackling spatial competition between offshore wind and other maritime uses, by fostering early stakeholder engagement, sectoral dialogue, and cross-border coordination.



3. Multi-use and sea-basin cooperation must be strengthened. As spatial pressure intensifies, multi-use of sea space must move from pilots to broader implementation, supported by early planning, designated zones and streamlined permitting. Cross-border and sea-basin cooperation should also be intensified as it can reduce spatial conflict and increase synergies between areas and sectors.