Publication

This paper, which is the second of three, looks into what was a defining phase for Euro-Mediterranean relations. In the 1990s, the Mediterranean was presented as a threat that required attention. It was perceived to be, in other words, an opportunity and a responsibility, and a way for the EU to see itself as a transformational agent that linked trade liberalization with political change. The latter self-perception then contributed to a gradual de-politicization and, above all, the ‘technocratization’ and securitization of Euro-Mediterranean practice, which started today’s debates about how the EU should deal with its Southern Neighborhood.