Albert Camus defined the Mediterranean as “a brief space that suggests the infinite.” This sea, although representing only 1% of the world’s surface area, is crucial for Europe and Italy: three continents border it, 20% of global maritime traffic passes through it, and 65% of Europe’s energy traffic. The concept of the Enlarged Mediterranean reflects its strategic role in a global network of maritime routes, connecting Asia and Europe through Malacca, Bab el-Mandeb, Suez, and Gibraltar. The partial disengagement of the USA has opened space for activism by Turkey, Russia, and China, while the EU struggles to emerge as a cohesive actor, hindered by internal divisions and complex bureaucracy. A Mediterranean partnership requires an integrated strategy between security, energy, and the economy, as in the still embryonic Mattei Plan. Challenges include the vulnerability of submarine cables, tensions over energy resources, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and regional crises. Moreover, the “ghost fleet” of Russia is evading sanctions, while migration and instability threaten the entire region. However, the Mediterranean offers enormous economic and strategic opportunities.
Giorgia Meloni has highlighted the potential of the Imec project, an infrastructural corridor between Europe, the Middle East, and India, while Ursula von der Leyen has created a directorate for the Mediterranean, signaling a change in the European approach.
