The United Nations Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro in 1992 initiated the development of focussed European Union policy on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) (1).

“From 1996 to 1999, the European Commission operated a Demonstration Programme on Integrated Coastal Zone Management to provide technical information about sustainable coastal zone management, and to stimulate a broad debate among the various actors involved in the planning, management or use of European coastal zones” (1).

The programme was intended to lead to a consensus regarding measures necessary in order to stimulate Integrated Coastal Management in Europe. In 2000, based on the experiences and outputs of the Demonstration Programme, the Commission adopted two documents:

The first document was the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on ‘Integrated Coastal Zone Management: A Strategy for Europe’ (COM/2000/547 of 17 Sept. 2000)” (1).

This document states that “the basic bio-physical problem in the coastal zones is that development is not kept within the limits of the local environmental carrying capacity” (2). Some of the most common manifestations are widespread coastal erosion, habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, contamination of soil and water resources and problems of water quality and quantity.

These problems cause or interfere with human-related problems, namely:

• unemployment and social instability resulting from the decline of traditional or environmentally-compatible sectors, such as small scale coastal fisheries
• competition between users for resources
• destruction of cultural heritage and dilution of the social fabric following uncontrolled development (especially of tourism)
• loss of property and development options, as the coast erodes
• lost opportunities for durable employment, as resources degrade
• marginalization and emigration, compounded by a lack of appropriate infrastructure

Although each coastal zone faces different specific problems, the coastal management case studies within the Demonstration Programme show that these specific problems have the same root causes (2):

• Management of the coast has lacked vision and is based on a very limited understanding of coastal processes and dynamics; scientific research and data collection have been isolated from end-users
• There has been inadequate involvement of the stakeholders in formulating and implementing solutions to coastal problems
• Inappropriate and uncoordinated sectoral legislation and policy have often worked against the long-term interests of sustainable management of coastal zones
• Rigid bureaucratic systems and the lack of coordination between relevant administrative bodies have limited local creativity and adaptability
• Local initiatives in sustainable coastal management have lacked adequate resources and political support from higher administrative levels.

Conclusions are that “it is essential to implement an environmentally sustainable, economically equitable, socially responsible, and culturally sensitive management of coastal zone, which maintains the integrity of this important resource” (3). Further, that “integrated management of the coastal zone requires action at the local and regional level, guided and supported by an appropriate framework at the national level” (3).

The second document was a proposal for the implementation of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe (COM/2000/545 of 8 September 2000). This Recommendation was adopted by the European Parliament and Council on 30 May 2002 (2002/413/EC).

On 12 March 2013 the Commission adopted a proposal for a Directive establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management” (1). The final Directive (2014/89/EU) on establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning was adopted in 2014. In this Directive that is legally binding for all EU Member States, ICZM was deleted from the title. Major ideas and the concept of ICZM are still included in the directive, but it had the consequence that ICZM and coastal related activities lost momentum in Europe.

This development indicates a shift in the focus and perception of ICZM. Originally, ICZM had a strong environmental focus and implemented the idea of an ecosystem approach to management. Today, in Europe, ICZM largely lost its autonomy and became part of maritime spatial planning.