ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the development of Europe's Mediterranean policy, and its politico-military dimension in particular, an evolution which was driven by the growing awareness of the European interests in the Mediterranean. It follows a detailed analysis of the politico-military aspects of the Barcelona Conference, where the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) was founded, and of all follow-up conferences, in order to determine the causes of the Partnership's failure to realize its ambitious security policy objectives. The comprehensive and multilateral approach to Euro-Mediterranean relations of the proposed Euro-Maghreb Partnership was retained in the ensuing new policy initiatives of the now European Union (EU). On the European side of the Partnership, the European Council at the Santa Maria da Feira summit adopted a Common Strategy on the Mediterranean Region. The EU has always been rather reluctant to push cooperation on terrorism in the framework of the EMP, which would imply the need to have first a sensitive discussion on the definition of terrorism.
