Hereunder is a list of examples of “Priorities” related to the aforementioned challenges:

1. MSP as an enabler of the European Green Deal: development of a clean, circular blue economy, preserving and protecting biodiversity in the marine environment (in particular with spatial measures), facilitating the supply of clean, affordable and secure, energy, enabling the provision of healthy and environmentally-friendly food from the sea. Climate proofing of MSP including incorporating adaptation and mitigation actions and/or strategies into MSP, making MSP flexible and adaptive to respond to climate change.
2. Facilitate/enable the development of an economic sector (e.g. tourism and maritime/underwater cultural heritage, offshore wind energy, aquaculture) in the maritime domain: ex-ante assessments (Strategic Environmental Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment); multi-use in project design and licensing/permits; development of a regulatory framework for multi-use, including Land Sea Interactions (LSI); allocation of sufficient sea space, resolution of conflicts with other uses, enabling synergies with other sectors /
activities.
3. Applying the Ecosystems Based Approach (EBA) in MSP: designing maritime spatial plans to integrate objectives and measures of other EU instruments (e.g. the Marine Strategy Framework Directive) with the aim to reduce collective pressures and ensuring that marine ecosystems are in a healthy, productive and resilient condition.
4. Developing strategies and approaches to review/revise maritime spatial plans to make them future proof (see Priority 1), more integrated and more coherent, especially in a sea basin context.
5. Addressing gaps and challenges in the collection, integration, use, re-use, access, including to data produced by non-public actors, of data in the MSP context: using best available data and instruments to prepare, monitor and revise maritime spatial plans. Developing data tools, models and infrastructures, allowing for interoperability and enabling Member States to
share MSP data and information, especially in a cross-border and sea basin context.
6. Promoting ocean governance through MSP: incorporating oceans’ governance tools into the MSP process and in maritime spatial plans. For example by enabling stakeholder participation in governance schemes and instruments (e.g. management of marine resources, protection of the environment or of the underwater cultural heritage), by providing capacity building and
facilitating joint and/or coherent planning in a sea basin context, or by promoting cooperation with third countries in issues of common interest in a sea basin or a shared ocean space.

Applicants should identify one among the above “Priorities” and build their proposal around it. Priority will be given to proposals that build on the outcome of prior MSP related projects, relevant to the objectives of the call.
In case a proposal includes activities a particular sea basin in which a dedicated sea basin strategy or similar initiative exists, priority will be given to proposals that explain how they contribute to the objectives of the relevant sea basin strategy or initiative.