The Union for the Mediterranean: What has changed and what could change in the field of security?

Eduard Soler i Lecha & Irene García, Coordinator and Assistant, respectively, of the CIDOB's Mediterranean and Middle East Programme, have published a policy-brief in which they analyse how the Euro-Mediterranean agenda deals with the security agenda. This document can be found on the web page of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and is the result of the INEX project, which was funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission.The document stresses that in the Barcelona Process, cooperation in the area of security has been permanently contaminated by regional conflicts. Given these circumstances, the partners have opted for a more pragmatic approach in bilateral and sub-regional frameworks. 

The document also analyses the new Union for the Mediterranean (UpM) and considers that there is a significant degree of continuity with the Barcelona Process with respect to security cooperation: the UpM is still being held hostage by the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is attempting to work on less politically sensitive issues (such as civil protection) and is championing the idea of exploring more flexible formats. Given the situation, the authors argue that the EU must step up its efforts toward a peace process in the Middle East, and that the body should draft a strategy on how to approach security cooperation, even in adverse situations.