Country information
Basic facts on marine waters
- Territorial sea (12 NM): 50 957 km²
- Exclusive Economic Zone: 1 660 456 km²
- Extended continental shelf: 2 400 000 km²
Strategic documents related to MSP
- National Strategy for the Sea (ENM 2013-2020)
Technical resources related to MSP
Overview of MSP related maritime uses
Current main uses:
| Ammunition storage sites | Nature conservation |
| Aquaculture | Offshore renewable energy |
| Cables and pipelines | Ports |
| Coastal protection | Scientific research |
| Fisheries | Shipping |
| Military | Tourism and Leisure |
Which marine spatial plans exist?
Name of the plan (year) |
National Maritime Spatial Planning Situation Plan (2019) |
|---|---|
Scale of the plan |
National |
Pre-planning |
Status: Completed |
Assessments for planning |
Status: Completed |
Plan development
|
Status: Completed |
Plan completion
|
Status: Completed |
Plan approval
|
Status: Completed |
Plan implementation |
Status: Underway |
Plan review
|
Status: N/A |
National authority in charge of MSP |
Directorate General for Maritime Policy |
Governmental funding |
N/A |
External funding |
N/A |
Public-Private funding |
N/A |
Size of planning area |
N/A |
Time required to complete the planning document |
N/A |
Main issues that led to the adoption of MSP (drivers) |
N/A |
Stakeholder engagement activities |
N/A |
Sectors included in planning |
Fisheries; aquaculture; environment NGOs; other blue economy sectors |
Articulation between MSP and coastal zone management |
Yes, integrated approach and coast spatial planning integration |
Articulation between MSP and marine protected areas |
MSP is the driver of the marine protected area network with a predicted 14% of MPAs in 2020 |
Articulation between MSP and sustainable blue economy |
The National Strategy for the Sea (ENM 2013-2020) defined a development model based on the preservation and sustainable use of resources and services of marine ecosystems, pointing to a long-term path to economic growth, smart sustainable and inclusive, based on the maritime component.
The Satellite Account for the Sea SAS project intends to provide adequate information in the context of the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP), on the socioeconomic context of Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), as well as economic and social analysis in the core of OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic. |
Plan approval process |
2019 |
Legal status of the plan (guiding or legally binding) |
Law No. 17/2014 and Decree-Law No. 38/2015 (updated by Decree-Law No. 139/2015) |
Plan review process |
N/A |
Performance monitoring and evaluation |
N/A |
Legal framework
The MSP process was approved by parliamentary law. Subsequently, the Portuguese government developed specific legislation for its implementation:
- In April 2014, Law No. 17/2014 settled the basis of spatial planning and management policy for all the Portuguese maritime space, including the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles
- Decree-Law no. 38/2015, published on 12 March 2015 (updated by Decree-Law No.139/2015), established the format and applicability of the maritime spatial plan and transposed to national law the European Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning (Directive 2014/89/EU)
Contact
Directorate General for Maritime Policy
Conceição Santos – Deputy Director General for Maritime Policy