Strategic partnerships under pressure: Rewiring Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in an age of global competition

The Euro-Mediterranean space is undergoing a structural reordering shaped by global power shifts, intensified geo-economic competition, and the growing entanglement of security, technology, standards, and societal resilience. Competition over supply chains, sanction regimes, strategic infrastructure, and investment corridors has elevated connectivity, particularly maritime routes and critical infrastructure, into a central arena of contestation.

In this context, the region is increasingly best understood not as a set of discrete crises, but as an interdependent strategic system in which decisions taken in one sub-region quickly spill across others, and actors are prioritising issue-by-issue partnerships over fixed alignments, recalibrating relations with the United States, China, Russia, Europe, and emerging middle powers

For Europe, these shifts highlight a persistent challenge: while the EU remains a major economic and regulatory actor, its influence is often constrained by fragmented policy tools, diverging Member State approaches, and credibility limits in a polarised environment.

Against this backdrop, this Call for Papers invites evidence-based contributions on how EU–Mediterranean engagement can be upgraded into credible, resilient, and deliverable partnerships, moving beyond episodic crisis response toward sustained cooperation across security, geo-economics and connectivity, governance, and resilience.

Paper proposals may relate to the concepts and questions listed below. The list is only indicative and not exhaustive.

1) Conflict, transitions, and regional stability

Unresolved conflicts, fragile political transitions, and long-standing identity issues continue to shape stability across the Euro-Mediterranean region. This Call invites contributions that explore spillovers of conflicts and tensions into areas like security, borders, displacement, and governance. Papers may also reflect on what forms of cooperation are possible in politically sensitive or post-conflict contexts, including confidence-building initiatives that work despite mistrust. Additional angles on mediation formats under multi-alignment and external actor competition (US, China, Russia, and emerging middle powers), including implications for EU leverage and regional bargaining power could be explored.

2) Geo-economics, connectivity, and strategic competition

The growing global competition is reshaping Euro-Mediterranean partnerships through trade, infrastructure, finance, and economic policy tools. Contributions may examine contested connectivity, supply chains, sanctions, and investment choices, as well as the influence of external actors and emerging middle powers. Papers may explore the specifics of the Eastern Mediterranean, the growing importance of Gulf-Mediterranean linkages and corridor politics, and the strategic complementarities or tensions of initiatives such as IMEC with EU and regional priorities. The aim is to better understand how these dynamics affect policy options, leverage, and the prospects for meaningful cooperation across the region.

3) Resilience, mobility, and making cooperation work

The region faces shared challenges that put pressure on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, including migration, climate and resource stress, and maritime security.

This Call welcomes papers that move beyond short-term crisis responses to explore how innovative, more credible, durable, and mutually beneficial partnerships can be built. Contributions may also consider EU coherence and what is needed for cooperation to be trusted, review Europe’s internal security dilemma and its external consequences, and what needs upgrading to strengthen political traction and results, connecting ambition to capacity and funding, including the implications of the MFF 2028-2034 for Mediterranean priorities.

How to Submit Paper Proposals:

Applicants are invited to submit a short description of their proposed paper (up to 350 words, excluding references) through the provided Application Form.

The description should include:

• Theme and research objectives

• Scope of the paper

• Indicative initial reference list

📅 Deadline for applications: 28 February 2026, 23:59 CET

📩 Applicants will be notified of the results by 27 March 2026.

We look forward to receiving your proposals!