Article 4 Establishment and implementation of maritime spatial planning

1.   Each Member State shall establish and implement maritime spatial planning.

2.   In doing so, Member States shall take into account land-sea interactions.

3.   The resulting plan or plans shall be developed and produced in accordance with the institutional and governance levels determined by Member States. This Directive shall not interfere with Member States’ competence to design and determine the format and content of that plan or those plans.

4.   Maritime spatial planning shall aim to contribute to the objectives listed in Article 5 and fulfil the requirements laid down in Articles 6 and 8.

5.   When establishing maritime spatial planning, Member States shall have due regard to the particularities of the marine regions, relevant existing and future activities and uses and their impacts on the environment, as well as to natural resources, and shall also take into account land-sea interactions.

6.   Member States may include or build on existing national policies, regulations or mechanisms that have been or are being established before the entry into force of this Directive, provided they are in conformity with the requirements of this Directive.