ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the way in which the Mediterranean has been symbolically, territorially and institutionally constructed as a space for European Union (EU) action. The writing of Mediterranean space by European political elites is characteristically messy, problematized and highly contested and involves complex relation building between political actors operating across scales, sites and institutions within and beyond EU' rope. Sami Moisio argues that region building is a primary goal for EU activities and therefore a key objective for contemporary political actors. The Barcelona Process gave dominance to the EU by presenting it as the main focus for peace, democracy and growth in Mediterranean space, and at the same time allowed EU Member States to legitimize their socio-political and economic actions in the space. The Europeanization of Mediterranean space is characterized by more complex processes of leverage, resistance and opposition to efforts to stimulate wide-ranging political and economic reform agendas.
