Multi-Use Integration in Mediterranean Maritime Spatial Planning: A Comparative Assessment of Institutional Pathways

Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) is increasingly recognized as the primary governance framework for integrating multiple and often competing maritime activities within shared marine space. This paper examines how the Multi-Use (MU) concept is incorporated into formally adopted MSP frameworks across six Mediterranean EU Member States, namely France, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Slovenia, and Malta. Drawing on content analysis and document analysis of officially approved national plans, the study develops a multi-criteria analytical framework combining conceptual and spatial dimensions to assess MU integration systematically across national contexts. Mediterranean MSP systems are dominated by soft MU forms, particularly combinations involving tourism, fisheries, underwater cultural heritage, and environmental protection, while hard MU configurations involving offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, and shared infrastructure remain largely at the strategic or pilot stage. Four distinct pathways of MU integration are identified: operational, compatibility-based, strategic coexistence, and administrative coexistence. These pathways reflect different approaches to integrating MU within MSP systems, from explicit multi-use promotion to coexistence-oriented planning. They also indicate that the institutional adaptation of marine governance has not progressed as rapidly as technological developments, particularly in relation to emerging MU configurations. Effective MU integration depends less on formal policy recognition and more on the existence of planning instruments, zoning mechanisms, and cross-sectoral governance arrangements capable of translating strategic objectives into operational practice.