The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology will chair the opening session of the first meeting of the European project designated as Macaronesian Maritime Spatial Planning (MarSP), which takes place in in Horta on Wednesday and Thursday.
 
This project, with a budget over two million Euros, is coordinated by the Regional Fund for Science and Technology. It aims to support the development of the maritime spatial planning process in the three archipelagos of Macaronesia, involving institutions from the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries and their respective States.
 
Gui Menezes defended the importance of this project for the Region in order to "continue the implementation of the maritime spatial planning process, which, is being carried out in the Azores by the Regional Secretariat for the Sea, through the Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs. It involves all those related to this area."
 
The Regional Secretary stressed that maritime spatial planning is "a fundamental tool for the promotion of the "maritime economy" as well as for regulating and reconciling the various uses of the sea." In this context, he added that, "from the Regional Government's standpoint, it must comply with a sustainable environmental management towards the enhancement and conservation of marine biodiversity."
 
MarSP intends to ensure the development and implementation of maritime spatial planning plans for the Azores and Madeira as well as proposals for the Canary Islands in accordance with Directive 2014/89 / EU and the respective national legislation. It also includes mechanisms for cross-border cooperation, taking into account the political, socio-economic and environmental contexts of each of the archipelagos.
 
In addition to the Regional Fund for Science and Technology, this consortium comprises the following entities: Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs of the Government of the Azores, the Regional Directorate for Spatial Planning of the Government of Madeira, the Directorate General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services and the Directorate General for Sea Policy, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and the Universities of Seville, Cadiz and Las Palmas (Gran Canaria).
 
The meeting to be held in Horta will involve thirty participants, including members of UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and researchers from the University of the Azores and MARE (Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre).