Study feeding into the mid-term review of the implementation of the Atlantic Action Plan : final report

One of the pillars of the EU's Integrated Maritime Policy, the concept of Sea Basin Strategies is based on the idea that each sea region is unique and requires its own tailored strategy that takes into account its unique strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities and challenges. Their development (along with the concept of 'macro-regional strategies' more generally) was pioneered in the Baltic Sea region, which adopted its macro-regional strategy in 2009. The experience in the Baltic Sea gave rise to calls for a similar initiative in the Atlantic. While the same 'macro-regional strategy' tool was not taken up, a Commission Communication on Developing a Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic Ocean Area was adopted in 2011. This was followed by the development of an accompanying Atlantic Action Plan over the course of 2012 - 2013 and its adoption in 2014. The Action Plan is structured around four priorities and ten specific objectives. In addition, a total of 37 actions under 20 headings targeting activities and focus areas at a project level have been identified. The Atlantic Action Plan states that the Commission will closely monitor [its] implementation, draw lessons learnt and assess progress made [and] prepare a mid-term review of the implementation... before the end of 2017. In this context, DG MARE requested an independent evaluation study to feed into the mid-term review. The objectives of the present study were to provide analyses and draw useful conclusions on the relevance, the coherence, the implementation, the effectiveness, the EU added-value and the impact and sustainability of the Action Plan. The results were the basis for the identification of recommendations aimed at improving the next stage of implementation. The reconstruction of the Action Plan's intervention logic was developed on the basis of the Action Plan document and the evaluator's own reasoning.