La dimensione mediterranea nelle relazioni esterne dell’Unione dopo la primavera araba

[The Mediterranean Dimension of the European Union's External Relations after the Arab Spring] Ever since the foundation of the European Economic Community, the EU has been paying special attention to the Mediterranean dimension. The relationships with the Mediterranean neighbour countries are based rather on geopolitical than on economic reasons. They are characterized by the continuous oscillation between bilateral and multilateral instruments. The Barcelona Process, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean belong to the first category of tools. Mutual dialogue is, nonetheless, still grounded on the bilateral dimension, namely on association agreements. Due to the Arab Spring these legal instruments have been put on standby. A new approach has been introduced. The Euro-Mediterranean relations are now, as it seems, inspired by caution and pragmatism