Titolo completo

Europe’s Western Mediterranean security: Between strategic neglect and untapped opportunity

In recent years Europe’s security environment has increasingly been shaped by overlapping crises which academics, experts and policymakers have tried to interpret. While the EU’s post-2022 security agenda has understandably focused on deterrence and the high-intensity conflict in the Eastern and Baltic neighbourhood, this shift has contributed to the marginalisation of the southern flank. This article examines the Western Mediterranean as a shared security space whose relevance has been underestimated despite the growing structural vulnerabilities and the variable threats that traverse it. Drawing on selected case studies from North Africa, it analyses how governance fragility, regional conflict spillovers, and the evolving engagement of regional and global actors are generating cumulative challenges for European security. The article also explores the implications of these dynamics for the EU–NATO relationship, highlighting persistent gaps between converging interests and fragmented policy responses. Taking all of these elements into account, it suggests that the Western Mediterranean remains a strategic priority for Europe and represents a test case for the EU’s ability to move beyond reactive engagement towards a more coherent and forward-looking security approach.