Abstract

Europe’s relations with the broader Mediterranean area are complex and deeply affected by the legacy of intricate historical ties. ¹ Several members of the European Union have a past as colonial and Mandate powers in the region; World War II and the Holocaust cast a long shadow on relations with Israel; and the Mediterranean Sea has long been both the meeting point of the ‘North’ and the ‘South’ and the fracture line dividing three continents: Europe, North Africa and Asia.