Legal Implementation of Integrated Ocean Policies: The EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Coastal states increasingly recognise the need to consider the interplay between different exploitation and use activities and their effects on the marine environment. Some states have adopted programmes to establish “integrated ocean policies” which aim at promoting a coordinated governance of the different activities and interests related to the seas. This article describes the hurdles and challenges the European Union faces in developing and implementing its “Integrated Maritime Policy”, particularly focussing on its most developed branch, the “Marine Strategy Framework Directive”. By providing a detailed insight into this supranational ocean management framework, including an elucidation of its strengths and weaknesses, this analysis will contribute to the world-wide legal discourse on integrated ocean policies.