Abstract
Von der Leyen’s ‘geopolitical Commission’ has been seeking to further adapt to the new global contingencies by fostering a stronger EU-NATO strategic partnership. The 2016 and 2018 Joint Declarations have already given new vigour to this rapprochement, and a forthcoming third Joint Declaration will further consolidate relations. However, this rosy story hides a harsh reality: ‘political agreements [are] lacking, stalling key initiatives, and relegating cooperation to the staff level’. In this paper, we seek to unpack EU-NATO cooperation, evaluate accomplishments achieved so far and the extent to which the ‘geopolitical Commission’ narrative has somehow acted as a catalyst for further collaboration. The study focuses on the maritime field only and addresses relations the Union and the Alliance have intertwined from the Gulf of Aden to the Mediterranean basin. Findings reveal that the EU’s natural inclination to behave as a maritime ‘orchestrator’ has ultimately eased relations with NATO, yet cooperation remains sub-optimal and curbed by path-dependency and intra-state antagonisms.
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Giuglietti, L. (2023). From the Gulf of Aden to the Mediterranean Sea: The Institutionalisation of EU-NATO Maritime Relations. In: Costa, O., Van Hecke, S. (eds) The EU Political System After the 2019 European Elections. Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12338-2_21
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