New scenarios of cooperation for security in the Mediterranean

The 8th International Seminar on Security and Defence in the Mediterranean was inaugurated by Narcís Serra, President of CIDOB, Luis Cuesta, Secretary General for Defence Policy for Spain and Hakan Jevrell, Secretary of State for Defence Policy for Sweden. The event, which took place on 26 October, brought together 140 people, including civilians and members of the armed forces, government representatives and experts from countries of the EU, NATO and the Mediterranean basin.The seminar was organised with the aim of building bridges, gaining a better understanding of different perspectives on the issue of security and assessing ways of promoting progress in cooperation. 

The seminar commenced with an address by the renowned Egyptian academic Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayyid, who outlined the main challenges to human security in the Arab world. During his address, he stressed the link between human security and conventional security: the idea that citizens will suffer from insecurity when the state is in danger and, in turn, the security of the state will be affected if citizens live in a situation of risk. His address was followed by a round table discussion in which new possibilities for cooperation on a trans-Atlantic scale were presented and debated. The window of opportunity that the Obama administration represents, Europe's growing demand, the central nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the possibility of setting up an external stabilisation force in the region and Turkey’s growing role in different regional scenarios were some of the issues debated during this session. In the afternoon, the participants divided up into three work groups to analyse the possibilities of cooperation in areas such as civil protection, maritime security and crisis management missions. 

The results of these work groups revealed a still unresolved tension between, on one hand, the urgent need to deal with phenomena such as piracy and natural disasters and, on the other, the need to establish this cooperation in a gradual, pragmatic manner, without creating false expectations. Furthermore, the three groups debated the role of the armed forces, stressing that they play and can play an important role, always at the service of the governments and citizens, with a highly defined role and creating a closer relationship with civil actors. Finally, the seminar was brought to a close with an address by Fidel Sendagorta, Director General for the Mediterranean, the Near East and North Africa, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain. 

In his address, Sendagorta examined some of the changes that are taking place in the Middle East, and which will have an impact on preparations for the EU Presidency. He also reiterated the desire that 2010 will see the consolidation of the Union for the Mediterranean, within the framework of the second summit meeting due to be held in Barcelona..Analytical report of the Seminar: _ Summary of the 8th International Seminar on Security and Defence in the Mediterranean: New scenarios for cooperation _ (Version française) Compte-Rerdu du 8ème Séminaire international Sécurité et Défénse en Méditerranée: Nouvelles scènes pour la coopération.Speeches, addresses and reports from the previous seminars: _ 7th International Seminar on Security and Defence in the Mediterranean. Regional conflicts and security strategies _ 6th International Seminar on Security and Defence in the Mediterranean. Human Security _ 5th International Seminar on Security and Defence in the Mediterranean _ 4th International Seminar on Security and Defence in the Mediterranean