As part of a high-level dialogue meeting with EU Maritime Commissioner Kostas Cadis, EBI was invited as the representative of the boating sector, to present the industry's perspective on maritime spatial planning and the EU's Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning.

The Commissioner highlighted that the aim is to simplify EU rules and that more integrated action is needed, as well as aligning with decarbonisation priorities. For this purpose, the Directive will be developed into the Ocean Act as one of the commitments of the European Ocean Pact to unify and modernise the legislation. From the meeting, Commissioner Cadis took away the need for stakeholder engagement, strategic approaches, climate and biodiversity inclusion, regional and cross-border collaboration, and integration with offshore renewables.

EBI Secretary-General Philip Easthill highlighted three major points for the boating industry:

1. Access to the sea for citizens has to be a primary objective, which boating and watersports actively supports 
2. Recreational, sporting activities and marinas should receive higher attention in the legislation and national plans 
3. Maritime spatial plans should be used for positive forward strategic planning for all sectors and address missing links and infrastructure needs

Participating at the meeting were representatives of other blue economy sectors and NGOs. The meeting with stakeholders will feed into an implementation report due in 2026 and the future development of the Oceans Act. EBI will continue to be closely involved.