Public Law and Investment in Maritime Space

In recent years we have seen a renewed interest in the sea in Portugal, motivated by various circumstances, but in particular by economic reasons. It can be said that the maritime space already constitutes today, in the Portuguese community-political mentality, an important location and context for economic activity and, therefore, legal activity. In Portugal, maritime reality has traditionally been the subject of study by practitioners of private law (Maritime Law: maritime transport contracts, insurance, ship regime, etc.) and by jusinternacionalists (Law of the Sea: delimitation of maritime spaces/borders, their international legal regime, etc.). The Administrative Law of the Sea aims to deal with legal problems normally removed from those disciplines, namely, maritime space planning, and the regime for the use and exploitation of resources in the various maritime spaces subject to national jurisdiction (or similar), due to their characterization as public domain (or equivalent). Investment in maritime spaces requires information regarding these aspects, first and foremost for reasons of legal certainty: given the sometimes large nature of these same investments, few will venture into them without knowing the regime of legal titles for use/exploitation ( licenses, authorizations, concessions) and their economic impact on a cost/benefit balance (e.g.: concession deadlines, dispute resolution regimes, tax framework, etc.). In this sense, it can be said, in short, that: (i) scientific relevance lies in the progressive autonomy of a special branch of Administrative Law, whose structure, principles and practical relevance can no longer be disregarded by university research: ( ii) public relevance can be summarized simply as follows: without studies of this nature, there will be no investments in maritime space that are anything but sporadic and, therefore, insignificant.