ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to analyse the emerging politics of hydrocarbon development in the Eastern and Central Mediterranean by highlighting the main drivers and effects of the recent relaunch of offshore activities in the region and the role of the European Union (EU) and EU member states. By applying the IPE framework and the historical institutional perspective, the chapter illustrates the petroleum politics in the Eastern and Central Mediterranean, paying special attention to the Adriatic Sea and the Levantine Basin. Petroleum politics and maritime border delimitation have traditionally interacted in the Mediterranean Sea. The chapter also reviews the main EU environmental policy instruments that apply to offshore activities and their consequences for offshore politics. Between the end of 1990s and the beginning of 2000s, in a context of rising oil prices, various energy companies decided to increase their investments in Levantine Basin. Within two years, from 2009 to 2011, major gas discoveries were realised off the coasts of Israel and Cyprus.
