Publication

This paper considers what policies the EU should pursue in order to strengthen both its presence and influence in the Mediterranean region. More specifically, the paper’s authors 1) analyze the three strategic policy options the EU now has available – the defensive, power-projection, and reflexive options; 2) conclude that since 2011 Brussels’ policies in the Mediterranean have oscillated between a defensive and a power-projection approach; and 3) suggest that the EU may now be better served by adopting a reflexive policy – i.e., one that is more inclusive, more flexible, and better able to respond to the key needs of ‘both shores’ of the Mediterranean.