Tunis– 25-28 November 2025
Last week in Tunis brought together policymakers, experts, practitioners and regional partners for an intensive series of events dedicated to advancing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and sustainable maritime management in the Mediterranean. Across four days, MEDIGREEN played a central role in facilitating dialogue, strengthening capacities, and supporting the development of shared approaches to sustainable blue development in the region.
Day 1 – PAP/RAC Training for Tunisian Policy Makers
The week opened with a national MSP training co-organised by PAP/RAC and the Tunisian Agency for Coastal Planning and Protection (APAL). Bringing together representatives from 43 Tunisian institutions, the training offered a space for exchange with colleagues from Algeria, France, Italy, Spain and Türkiye. Sessions focused on MSP design and implementation in several Mediterranean countries, highlighting practical approaches and lessons learned. The day concluded with an interactive “serious game” session using the MSP Challenge board game, allowing participants to explore planning dynamics and trade-offs in a hands-on, collaborative setting. This training laid a strong foundation for discussions held throughout the week by strengthening shared understanding and technical capacity within national institutions.
Day 2 – MEDIGREEN Sector Workshop
The second day featured the MEDIGREEN Workshop on Sustainable Maritime Planning and Management, organised with the University of Sfax. This event presented the first project outputs and explored how they can support national needs and priorities in Tunisia. Participants engaged in practical activities, thematic discussions, and feedback exercises, including a review and validation of MEDIGREEN communication materials. The workshop examined critical topics such as the translation of MSP from concept to practice, preliminary findings from project analyses, cross-border communication strategies, and relevant insights emerging from MEDIGREEN’s national actions in Algeria and Albania. The conversations offered a clear picture of the data needs, institutional challenges and opportunities for progress in Tunisia’s maritime sectors.
Day 3 – Fourth MED MSP Community of Practice (CoP) Workshop
The third day was dedicated to the 4th MED MSP CoP workshop, fully supported by MEDIGREEN. This full-day event focused on four key topics: aquaculture, fisheries, offshore renewable energy and nature protection. After a series of targeted presentations, participants were divided into four thematic groups and invited to identify challenges, gaps and priority actions for each sector. Discussions addressed issues such as administrative and licensing barriers, the orientation of subsidies, unreported activities, fragmented responsibilities and persistent data shortages. The insights generated during these hands-on sessions will directly contribute to the ongoing studies and guidance produced within the CoP, helping Mediterranean countries enhance coordination, improve planning processes and progress toward integrated and climate-resilient maritime management.
Day 4 – WestMED Stakeholder Conference
The week concluded with the WestMED Stakeholder Conference 2025, where MEDIGREEN was featured in a dedicated parallel session. The project team presented MEDIGREEN’s ambitions, its contribution to mainstreaming the European Green Deal objectives in the Mediterranean, and its support to MSP implementation across partner countries. The conference provided an important platform to connect with other regional initiatives, exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for collaboration. Throughout the day, MEDIGREEN highlighted the importance of building synergies across projects and working collectively toward a more sustainable, coordinated and environmentally responsible future for the Mediterranean region.
