ABSTRACT

This chapter attempts to conceptually 'unpack' the European Union's (EU) Mediterranean strategy by employing different theoretical perspectives to explain the development of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP). It considers the characteristics of the Euro-Mediterranean initiative as a policy area, comparing it with the Union's approach to eastern enlargement and setting it in the wider context of Euro-Mediterranean relations. Southern member states had more intense economic and security interests in the region than their northern, non-Mediterranean counterparts. The chapter analyses the impact of intergovernmental politics on the EMP. It engages with the institutionalist claim that institutions have a significant role in determining policy outcomes, and have policy 'preferences' in their own right. The chapter focuses on the roles of the Commission, the European Parliament, the Council Presidency and the Council Secretariat. A strong case exists to use theory that captures the interplay between domestic interests and the behaviour of governments in the EU policy-making process.