Ireland, like other EU countries, was obliged to prepare an ecosystem-based maritime spatial plan by March 2021 but, unfortunately, the plan developed by Ireland does not comply with the EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSP).

The National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) adopted by the Irish Government in May 2021 is not ecosystem-based, nor is it a plan. It provides a policy framework for marine planning but does not specify where activities will take place at sea or set out regionally differentiated priorities for the use and protection of Ireland’s marine space (Walsh, 2022). The NMPF, therefore, fails to meet core requirements of the Directive and cannot be considered to be a Maritime Spatial Plan.