Session 8: Rethinking the EU’s Mediterranean Policies: Europe’s Security Shortcomings

Session 8: Rethinking the EU’s Mediterranean Policies: Europe’s Security Shortcomings

Discussion topics:

• Where do the EU’s Mediterranean Policies now stand? Is the Union for the Mediterranean project still a European priority?
• Will Mediterranean cooperation survive violent regime changes in the region and conflict in Syria? What are the consequences of these events for European security?
• Are policy concerns other than security tackled by the EU in relation to the Mediterranean?
• Does the Union for the Mediterranean have a future within its own institutions or will it fall back on the framework of the Barcelona process? What effect does the work of Union for the Mediterranean institutions (such as the Secretariat or the Anna Lindh Foundation) have for the overall goals of the Partnership?
• How do the EU’s economic troubles affect cooperation in the Mediterranean region and implementation of Mediterranean policies?

Speakers:

Elizabeth Sidiropoulos‚ Chief Executive, South African Institute of International Affairs

Josef Teboho Ansorge‚ JD Candidate, Yale Law School

Riham Bahi‚ Assistant Professor, Cairo University

Dimitar Bechev‚ Senior Policy Fellow and Head of European Council on Foreign Relations office in Sofia

Despina Syrri‚ President of Symbiosis, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki

Jean-Daniel Ruch‚ Ambassador, Head of Mission, Embassy of the Swiss Confederation in Serbia (Moderator)