ABSTRACT
A theory on borders within the framework of the Western Mediterranean is therefore embedded in the changing constellation of European Union (EU) practices and policies on migration and border management. From the political standpoint, the task of categorising is not a neutral task. Three approaches characterise the border as a political category: the approaches based on identity, security and welfare. The border is the ultimate expression of political power. Political borders are essentially coercive. Monopoly of control over borders is perhaps the last bastion of state sovereignty, and the driving force behind the historical era, which began at Westphalia. A political theory that is intended to address the demands of all human beings will struggle to justify borders that act as barriers to free movement. There is even more justifications for this when people and groups are unevenly separated for socio-economic and political reasons.
