The Law of the Sea and Mediterranean Security

The attempt to call for a Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean in the 1990s was not successful and the transformation of the Mediterranean from an area of conflict into an area of peace has continued to be elusive because of the numerous clashes in the region. There are also dormant controversies due to the colonial past. The delimitation of the marine area had sometimes become a source of conflict, especially the regulation of the use of the sea, including fisheries. This paper argues that a regulatory framework that took account of the role of the European Union (EU) and its potential as an integrator of south riparian countries could be proposed. NATO, too, should play an important role that France had again joined the military structures of the alliance. A transatlantic policy should be devised that not only involved the organizations in which European states and the United States already collaborate such as NATO, but also strengthened relations between the EU and NATO. The role of the United States was paramount because of the leverage it had on several Mediterranean countries, in particular Egypt, Israel, Morocco, and Turkey, and since it was one of the main military users of the Mediterranean. However, a common regulatory framework seemed to be impossible for the time being, while cooperation on single issues appeared to be much more feasible.