The world’s seas and oceans play a crucial role in today’s globalised economy, with 90% of all traded goods transported by sea, and 95% of the world’s cyberspace traffic carried by communication cables on the seabed. The Mediterranean Sea is no exception. For example, approximately 65% of the oil and natural gas consumed in Western Europe passes through the Mediterranean. Similarly, the Middle East and the Gulf are essential regions for Mediterranean and European economies, as many imported goods, including oil, chemicals, metal ores, and agricultural products, transit through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. In the Persian Gulf and in the Red Sea, the war in Gaza has led to renewed tensions, in an already volatile environment with conflicts and tensions in countries such as Yemen or Sudan, and the threat of piracy. The scenario of a regional escalation would have dramatic consequences. Security in the Mediterranean is also tied to developments and tensions in the Black Sea resulting from the war in Ukraine. In the Mediterranean itself, contested maritime borders and energy competition are also threats to Mediterranean Security. While China has increased its presence in the region, in particular through their base in Djibouti, the US and Europe have also launched missions in the Red Sea. Maritime security and regional security more broadly require renewed cooperation efforts, including between the EU and its Mediterranean partners.

Migration challenges in the Mediterranean require some understanding between partners on both sides of the Mediterranean. Since 2015 there have been several attempts to find mutually acceptable solutions to address challenges. Migration is instrumentalized on both sides to obtain political gains, both domestically and in bilateral relations between countries. Cooperation to address migration challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean region tends to be more a more based on short-term political favours. However, this politicised approach to migration cooperation overlooks some central issues for countries on both sides of the Mediterranean and impedes a more rational Euro-Mediterranean cooperation that could result in mutually beneficial solutions. This plenary session will focus on analysing future scenarios for migration cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region and their consequences, highlighting the risks of a politicized approach and the benefits of a collaborative approach.

The EuroMeSCo Multistakeholders’ Platform will gather researchers and think tankers, civil society actors, misinformation and disinformation analysts, media outlets, information and communication officers, and policy makers, to delve into how the European Union and its policies are perceived in its Southern Neighbourhood, how external actors influence these perceptions, and will try to seek avenues for improvement. It will examine the impact of disinformation on narrative formation and its pivotal role in the current global narrative competition. Additionally, it will explore effective strategies to counter manipulation and combat the spread of disinformation. This Platform will address the importance of strategic communication as a tool for shaping narratives, it will analyse the European Union’s communication strategy towards the region to enhance Euro-Mediterranean relations.

This platform will tackle:

1-Narratives and Perceptions – The EuroMeSCo Multistakeholders Platform will delve into how the EU and its policies are perceived in its Southern Neighbourhood and how perceptions on Euro-Mediterranean relations have evolved on both shores. It will look at how external actors influence these perceptions and will try to seek avenues for improvement.

2- Disinformation and Misinformation– It will examine the impact of disinformation on narrative formation and its pivotal role in the current global narrative competition. Additionally, it will delve into effective strategies to counter foreign manipulation and combat the spread of disinformation.

3-Shaping Narratives, the role of (strategic) Innovative Communication – This Platform will address the importance of innovative communication as a tool for shaping narratives. It will analyse opportunities for the EU to communicate its actions and policies in the region to enhance Euro-Mediterranean relations.

Southern Mediterranean countries continue to depend to a great extent on the EU in terms of trade and investment. Both the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine have convinced the EU that its own economic model requires tied relations with its Southern neighbours. The EU not only needs to change its energy partnerships to replace its past dependency on Russia, it would also benefit from diversified supply chains to decrease its dependence on China. The focus on socio-economic development in the 2021 New Agenda on the Mediterranean, the Global Gateway and the renewed importance of the connectivity agenda speak to this context. However, new regional challenges call for a revision of economic integration and economic convergence. The economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have sent shockwaves through the Euro-Mediterranean region, intensifying existing socio-economic disparities among its countries. While some nations within the region enjoy robust economies and high living standards, others grapple with persistent challenges such as high unemployment rates, income inequality, and limited access to education and healthcare. These disparities are further heightened by factors like political instability, regional conflicts, and insufficient infrastructure. EU efforts to promote reforms in the region, which are seen by the EU as a pre-condition for enhanced investments, have been increasingly perceived as interfering in internal affairs.

This plenary session aims to analyse the future of economic cooperation and assess whether this window of opportunity can lead to greater economic integration in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The attacks on the 7 October 2023 have triggered an escalation of the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. This session will focus on analysing possible scenarios for the future of this conflict. Is it possible to envision peace? What role will the EU and the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region play?  What might be the spillover effects in the region?  How will it shape Israel’s relations with Arab countries? How will it impact relations with neighbouring regions such as the GCC countries? What long-term consequences might this conflict have?

Behind the handshakes and technicalities of investment agreements, Global Gateway engagement is deeply political. All the more so in the Euro-Mediterranean region, where geostrategic interests and conflicts clash and clatter, against the backdrop of climate change and political upheaval.  The ambitious but controversial India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) announced in September 2023 signalled a new era of EU assertiveness across Eurasia, tying together its geostrategic interests from supply chain resilience to energy security.

While human rights might move hearts and minds, connectivity moves governments. Why not use the notion of connectivity to reimagine more inclusive corridors that could enhance regional peace plans? These would then be steeped in the UN Charter values that have thus far been so lacking. How does social, environmental, and institutional sustainability fit into connectivity? The EU’s role in this process is yet to be defined, but it could result in both reputational and economic benefits.

Who will be in charge of the EU institutions after the EU elections? What will be the outcome of the elections in the US and of other elections around the region? Will the EU finally decide to revamp its European Neighbourhood Policy? Will the Union for the Mediterranean be given a new mandate? How will partners across the Mediterranean manage spoilers in bilateral relations? What if migration flows explode again in the summer and fall 2024? Energy, role of the GCC, Olympics…
At a critical juncture for Euro-Mediterranean relations, the facilitator will invite participants to think about what will happen to those relations if… In the course of the simulation, a series of factors will be brought in, and participants will be invited to think about what their ramifications.