The 2026-2034 marine spatial plan for Belgium in focus

Our Belgian North Sea is a hive of activity, from shipping to offshore wind production. To strike the right balance between the interests of all stakeholders, marine spatial planning is essential. Belgium launched its first marine spatial plan in 2014, making it an international pioneer in the field. But what exactly does this type of plan involve? We spoke to marine spatial planner Jesse Verhalle to find out.

Hi Jesse, as a marine spatial planner at the Marine Environment service of FPS Public Health, you’re closely involved in drawing up the marine spatial plan for Belgium. What sort of things does this plan cover?

Jesse: “A marine spatial plan offers a structured overview of spatial planning and activities at sea. Shipping routes, offshore wind farms, protected nature areas and marine reserves, spoil grounds, sand extraction areas, anchorage, ports — they’re all marked on the plan. But that’s not all: underwater cultural heritage is included too. Ever since the Second World War, for example, there have been 300 shipwrecks dotted around our Belgian North Sea. Around 40 of those are subject to special protection measures as they are extremely valuable from a historical perspective.”

Why is marine spatial planning so important for the Belgian North Sea?

Jesse: “Our Belgian North Sea is limited in size and in high demand. And that makes it a real challenge to manage each of the various offshore activities in the best possible way. How do you decide what space to set aside for which function where? And how do you make sure economic growth can be achieved with respect for marine ecosystems? Marine spatial planning is the ultimate answer to that challenge: it’s a crucial instrument if we want to organise the space we have available at sea the smart and sustainable way, both today and in the future.

How does a marine spatial place take shape? Which parties are involved in the process?

Jesse: “The marine spatial plan falls under the remit of the Minister for the North Sea and is developed by the Marine Environment service, where I work. Before we start work on the plan, we organise a launch event to which all citizens and stakeholders are invited to contribute. Everyone gets the chance to submit a proposal. Next, we explore how we can reconcile all of these different interests. To do so, we start a dialogue with the parties involved. As soon as our draft plan is ready, we submit it to the advisory committee, and we then share it with the public by means of a public consultation. As a final step, the marine spatial plan is ratified by the cabinet. During the drafting process, we also consult with our neighbouring countries: a cross-border approach ultimately leads to a better plan.”

Belgium launched its first marine spatial plan in 2014 and was the first country in the whole of Europe to do so. In the meantime, marine spatial planning has become mandatory for all European countries. What impact has this had?

Jesse: “The idea behind marine spatial planning actually came from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia: that’s where it all started. And you’re right, Belgium was a pioneer in Europe by being the first to have a fully integrated plan for the entire sector in place in 2014. That same year, Europe introduced a new directive that required every member state to develop a marine spatial plan by March 2021 at the latest. Even so, several countries failed to meet that deadline. Today, Belgium is on the third edition of its marine spatial plan. The first and second plan were in place for cycles of six years each. Now that the new legislation to protect the marine environment has been put into place, the third and current plan will run over an eight-year cycle. We do have the option to make changes in the meantime, of course, but the process for doing so remains pretty intensive.”

Which objectives is the current Belgian marine spatial plan aiming for?

Jesse: “When drafting a new marine spatial plan, I always take the public interest as my starting point. Of course we want to accommodate all parties, but we need to make the right trade-off between economic development and nature conservation, for instance. While the main focus of the first two plans was on where to set aside space for new activities, our intention with this third plan is to better protect the value of our marine landscape. This time, we’ve marked out a six-mile zone along the coastline in which no new permanent structures are permitted, for example. Recreational sailing, people living by the coast and migrating birds all stand to benefit from this. On top of that, we’re also working to restore the oyster population as a first step toward healthier ecosystems.”

That sounds promising. Thanks, Jesse, for this interesting conversation and your invaluable contribution to Belgium’s marine spatial plan!

Want to find out more about the marine spatial plan for 2026-2034?