La Pianificazione dello Spazio Marittimo

The research activity focused on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), an EU-derived process (Directive 2014/89/EU), introduced into Italian law by Legislative Decree No. 201 of October 17, 2016, and on the Maritime Spatial Management Plan, which, of said process, represents the final product. After reconstructing the steps followed at the EU level that led to the introduction of the MSP, the individual sources governing the institution at both the EU and national levels were examined. Outlining its contours, it then went on to illustrate the planning process and methodology adopted during the elaboration of the three Italian Maritime Spatial Management Plans. The subject of the research was, then, expanded by investigating the motivations that led to the introduction of MSP and its connection with the phenomenon of the so-called territorialization of the seas. Profiles, including those of constitutional relevance, related to the identification of the competent authority to manage the process, framed the main socio-economic aspects to be taken into account during planning, and mentioned aspects of transnational and cross-border significance. It then focused on purely legal aspects, identifying what the effectiveness of Management Plans and their relationship with other planning instruments in force in the Italian legal system. Finally, the phase following the approval of the Plans was examined and, in particular, how they are updated and revised. After briefly outlining what the diffusion of MSP is internationally, it was concluded that maritime spatial planning has entered the Italian legal system to stay there and that land governance and spatial planning have been enriched with a tool that brings with it new and stimulating insights and study