Lucio Levi
October 2015

With the end of bipolarity as the world order and the decline of American power, the Mediterranean has become one of the most unstable areas of the world.  It is up to Europe to fill the power vacuum that has formed at its borders, by initiating permanent structured cooperation in the areas of security and defence even among a small number of countries.  Without security it is not possible to launch a development plan for Africa and the Middle East or to support the democratic impetus of the Arab Spring.  These are tasks that the EU cannot deal with on its own, but what it can do is promote the convening of a Conference for the Mediterranean’s security and cooperation – on the example of the Helsinki Conference that started the East-West détente – with the participation of all the countries in the region and of the major powers.