All North West European countries share concerns about coastal problems, such as flooding resulting from coastal change. The objective of Corepoint is to establish NW Europe as an internationally recognised region of excellence in coastal management. This goal can only be achieved by co-operating on a transnational basis to build capacity at both a European and local level to implement an integrated coastal management programme. The 4.1 M euro project also seeks to influence national spatial policy in line with the EU’s recommendations on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), develop an integrated coastal information management system for NW Europe and promote shared social and political responsibility for the coastal environment. The lead partner is the Coastal and Marine Resources Centre of University College Cork. Together with 11other bodies from across North West Europe it will establish a virtual Coastal Resource Centre for North West Europe housing a Geographic Information coastal atlas for the region, a media information resources centre and coastal zone youth club. The project also seeks to engage European decision makers and citizens in ICZM, by for example setting up expert surgeries in coastal management issues. Achievements: There is a need and desire for integrated coastal zone management but there is a lack of capacity across all sectors and this needs to be addressed by national and EU policies. NWE is well placed to become a Centre of Excellence and there is a willingness amongst local stakeholders to try to achieve this – the problem is a lack of strategic vision at the policy level and this leads to a lack of resources at ground level. There are numerous key reference documents including: Review of International Approaches to ICM; EU legislation & policies with implications for coastal management ; Quantification of the economic benefits of natural coastal ecosystems; The point of COREPOINT: Improving capacity for Integrated Coastal Zone Management in North West Europe; Guidelines for Implementing Local Information; Systems at the Coast