On January 24th, 2023, a virtual workshop was held to discuss the results of the UNITED Ocean Multi-Use Pilots and engage in interactive discussions with 45 fellow planners, regulators, and decision-makers. The session aimed to share knowledge and experiences and provide advice on renewable energy planning processes and guidelines. Key outcomes and findings were presented by the leaders of the UNITED Ocean Multi-Use Pilots. Whereas EU Member States in majority are in favor of stimulating multi-use of the ocean, there are some (institutional) hinderances to the development of multi-use such as the lack of access to proper insurance, cumbersome licensing procedures, uncertainty of the decommissioning phase and lack of clear rules for multi-use.
Download the event summary report and presentations to learn more about what was discussed and what are the findings of this event:
Online session Policy Summary Report
Agenda Multi-Use Policy Session
Session Intro Presentation
Belgian Pilot Presentation
Danish Pilot Presentation
German Pilot Presentation
Dutch Pilot Presentation
The international UNITED workshop in Ghent brought together all pilot leaders and respective stakeholders to discuss the legal and insurance issues for multiple use (MU) of marine space. A draft report of D6.2 (Case specific report on legal aspects and insurance issues of MU) was distributed before the workshop, and participants were asked to provide comments if necessary. The central question of the workshop was why the implementation of MU at sea is so difficult, with a focus on (1) legal frameworks needed to develop MU projects and on (2) hurdles in insurance systems. For each pilot country, we focused on the MSP process and further discussed the (lack of) legal or regulatory framework for MU projects. Furthermore, the variables determining the necessity or absence of additional insurance to cover MU risk were discussed, as well as insurance policy clauses of utmost importance in the MU context. Finally, it was proposed which measures could be taken at different levels to restrain expenditure for insurance.
Discussion points:
- Legal and policy context of MU governance in pilots (MSP)
- Concessions, permits and access: pilot practice and law
- Insurance issues in a MU context
- Natura2000 and nature restoration via MU
During the workshop at Ghent University (Belgium), all pilot studies were discussed: is MU possible? Is it stimulated? What are the main insurance issues? We learned that all countries are open to MU (as a principle), but it is difficult to bring in practice as different activities are regulated by different authorities within the pilot countries. The lack of tradition to integrate procedures and the sometimes very different timeframes and spatial impact of activities is an important reason why MU is so difficult to realise. During the workshop, a governance analysis framework was discussed in which two governance groups were distinguished; the more top-down oriented pilot countries and the more bottom-up oriented pilot countries. Both models can lead to mu, however, a certain flexibility seems a prerequisite for successful MU. Furthermore, it seems that cultural differences and historical use play an important role in regulatory frameworks. The latter was also found to be true for insurance. Specifically, the level of trust between MU partners differed per pilot and resulted in different insurance needs between the partners.
There are different models to integrate activities in an offshore MU context with legal and insurance perspectives. Some integration on the level of permitting and tendering will greatly benefit the development of MU projects both from a legal and insurance point of view This can be done in both top down and bottom up governance systems, as long as there is enough room for flexibility. We see important steps forward with integrating food production in wind farms.
During the workshop there were several suggestions to adapt the governance analyses framework. This and the finalization of D6.2 will be done over the coming months.

The third UNITED public training workshop “Aquaculture-Multi-use offshore: Technology Transfer was the perfect combination between Research and Technology innovations!
The first part of the event provided some background information on the UNITED project and was followed by presentations of three pilot projects (Greece, Belgium and Germany) that each face biofouling issues. Each presenter provided an update on the current status of their pilot and the approaches in place to tackle these issues.
The second part was an opportunity for three companies to share their innovative solutions to prevent fouling on marine structures. The solutions introduced can provide long-term sustainable remediation systems that do not harm the environment.
In between and after both sessions, there was great engagement with the attendees, whose questions allowed for an active conversation among the panelists, particularly on the extent of biofouling on the pilots’ structures and the transferability, scalability and impacts of the solutions implemented.
Many thanks to all the participants for their contributions and making this event yet another success of UNITED!