Written by Marcin Grajewski

The European Union’s relations with Mediterranean countries form part of a broader European Neighbourhood Policy. This creates a framework for bilateral and regional cooperation with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia.
A key element, agreed in 2011 following the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings in the region, is the ‘more for more’ approach, which envisages closer relations in terms of financial assistance, travel and trade for those countries which pursue democratic and economic reforms. According to many analysts, the effectiveness of the policy has been challenged by political instability in many countries of the region and the growth of illegal migration to Europe.
This ‘At a glance’ note highlights a selection of recent studies by major international think tanks on the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood Policy, with papers on migration grouped as a separate category.
Studies and analyses
Tunisia’s transformation – Cooperating with the neighbours: Europe, North Africa and the GCC
Bertelsmann Stiftung, July 2015
The return of Egypt: Internal challenges and regional game
Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale, July 2015
EU Naval Force EUNAVFOR MED sets sail in troubled waters
Centre for European Policy Studies, June 2015
Europe’s neighbourhood: Crisis as the new normal
European Council on Foreign Relations, June 2015
Reviewing the European Neighbourhood Policy
European Institute of the Mediterranean, June 2015
Enhancing the Prospects of the EU’s Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas in the Mediterranean: Lessons from the Eastern Partnership
Centre for European Policy Studies, June 2015
Les enjeux du chaos libyen
Institut français des relations internationales, June 2015
Building sustainable agriculture for food security in the Euro-Mediterranean Area
Instituto Affari Internazionali, June 2015
Neighbourhood policy: More or no more?
Notre Europe – Jacques Delors Institute, May 2015
The new European neighbourhood policies require a differentiated and politically driven approach
Fondation Robert Schuman, May 2015
20 Years of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
Carnegie Europe, May 2015
A multilateral approach to ungoverned spaces: Libya and beyond
Instituto Affari Internazionali, May 2015
Europe’s volatile southern neighbourhood
Clingendael, April 2015
The EU neighbourhood in shambles – Some recommendations for a new European neighbourhood strategy
Bertelsmann Stiftung, April 2015
The United States and the future of Mediterranean security: Reflections from GMF’s Mediterranean Strategy Group
German Marshall Fund of the United States, April 2015
Forced convergence? Transatlantic strategy in the global Mediterranean
German Marshall Fund of the United States, April 2015
Gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean: Implications for regional maritime security
German Marshall Fund of the United States, March 2015
What to do about Libya: Intervention or mediation?
Instituto Affari Internazionali, March 2015
Tunisia: The EU must put its money where its mouth is
Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, March 2015
From Morsi to Al-Sisi: Foreign policy at the service of domestic policy
Instituto Affari Internazionali, March 2015
A bridge over the Mediterranean: The French-Egyptian arms deal
Institute for National Security Studies, March 2015
From policies to politics: The European Union as an international mediator in the Mediterranean
European Institute of the Mediterranean, February 2015
Re-thinking the EU’s development paradigm: Views from Morocco and Tunisia
European Policy Centre (EPC), January 2015
Research and assessment on Euro-Mediterranean relations
European Institute of the Mediterranean, January 2015
Financial reforms in the Mediterranean: Ideas and policies to inspire change
European Institute of the Mediterranean, January 2015
Conflicting role conceptions: In search of the European Union’s added value for its Southern Neighbours
College of Europe, December 2014
Saving Libya from itself: What the EU should do now
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), December 2014
Not the European Neighbourhood Policy: Some iconoclastic tips to start rethinking the EU’s relations with its neighbours
European Policy Centre (EPC), December 2014
The neighbourhood policy is dead. What’s next for European foreign policy along its arc of instability?
Instituto Affari Internazionali, November 2014
Migration issues
Tragedies in the Mediterranean: Analysing the causes and addressing the solutions from the roots to the boats
Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, July 2015
Fear of migration: Is the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood Policy fading away?
Finish Institute of International Affairs, June 2015
The EU and the migrant crisis: Not much more than a point defense
Heinrich Boll Stiftung, June 2015
Drowning boat people and the nervous breakdown of EU politics
Carnegie Europe, June 2015
Les drames de la Méditerranée : entre compassion, xénophobie et politique de l’autruche
Institut des relations internationales et stratégiques, April 2015
Emergenza Mediterraneo e migrazioni: come può rispondere l’Europa?
Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionali, 20 April 2015
European Union and the geopolitics of migration
Swedish Institute of International Afairs, February, 2015
EU policies on mixed migration flows in the Mediterranean sea
European Union Centre in Singapore, Feb. 2015
Three challenges for tomorrow’s EU migration policy: Fairness, mobility and narratives
Egmont, January 2015
The crisis in North Africa: Implications for Europe and options for EU policymakers
Clingendael, April 2015
[…] problems of the region and some of its countries. More reports on the region can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think Tanks are Thinking’ on the EU’s southern […]
[…] problems of the region and some of its countries. More reports on the region can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think Tanks are Thinking’ on the EU’s southern […]
Reblogged this on Dr Alf's Blog and commented:
This article by the European Parliamentary Research Service provides a link to some first rate articles by leading think-tanks.
Let me know your thoughts?