Details

The ongoing transitions in the countries of North Africa have challenged traditional European approaches to the region. EU policy makers have been attempting to deal with the changes and challenges that unfolded on the South Mediterranean. In recent years, the focus has shifted towards seeking new approaches – hitting the ‘Refresh’ button became the new paradigm in debates on EU-North Africa relations.

In order to shape optimal policy outcomes for the EU and understand the key issues driving this relationship also from the perspectives of the North African countries, the KAS Regional Program South Mediterranean brought together five researchers to identify shortcomings and prospects over the coming decade and analyse how a path to a new partnership of the respective countries with the EU could look like. Their papers will be discussed in an expert roundtable comprising the authors as well as think tank and EU representatives in an effort to outline short and long-term policy solutions able to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for both sides of the Mediterranean and to refresh approaches towards the European neighbourhood. The papers will later be published as chapters of an edited volume.

Sunday, 18 March 2018

Arrival of participants

Monday, 19 March 2018

09:00

Welcoming Remarks and Introduction

Dr. Canan Atilgan, Director, KAS Regional Program South Mediterranean

Dr. Adel Abdel Ghafar, Fellow, Brookings Doha Center

09:30

Panel 1: Standing on Shaky Ground in Libya

Moderated by Dr. Canan Atilgan

Presentation:

Dr. Arturo Varvelli, Co-Head of MENA Centre, ISPI

Discussants:

Mary Fitzgerald, Independent Researcher

Tarek Megerisi, Visiting Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations

11:00

Coffee break

11:30

Panel 2: EU-Morocco Relations: Supporting a Bulwark of Stability?

Moderated by Francesca Fabbri, Junior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre

Presentation

Intissar Fakir, Editor in Chief of Sada, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Discussants

Aboubakr Jamaï, Dean of the School of Business and International Relations at IAU College in Aix En Provence

Florence Liou, Deputy-Head of Middle East and North Africa Division, European External Action Service (EEAS)

13:00

Lunch

15:00

Panel 3: Tunisia. Can Europe Claim Success?

Moderated by Dr. Canan Atilgan

Presentation

Youssef Cherif, Deputy Director, Columbia Global Center Tunis

Discussants

Hedi Larbi, Associate at the Belfer Center's Middle East Initiative and Former Tunisian Minister of Economic Infrastructure and Sustainable Development

Camelia Oaida, European Parliament, Euromed and Middle East Unit, Delegation for Relations with Maghreb countries (DMAG)

16:30

Panel 4: Europe’s Fear of an Algerian Fallout

Moderated by Dr. Adel Abdel Ghafar

Presentation

Dr. Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck, Resident Scholar, Carnegie Middle East Center

Discussants

Dr. Robert P. Parks, Director, Centre d’Etudes Maghrebines en Algerie (CEMA)

Kirsten Jongberg, MENA Region Policy Analyst, Policy Department for External Relations, European Parliament

18:45

Aperitif with Heiner Enterich, Managing Director of Villa La Collina

Tuesday, 20 March 2018

09:00

Panel 5: EU-Egypt Relations: Balancing Economic, Political and Security Interests

Moderated by Kirsten Jongberg, MENA Region Policy Analyst, Policy Department for External Relations, European Parliament

Presentation

Dr. Adel Abdel Ghafar, Fellow, Brookings Doha Center

Discussants

Dr. Gennaro Gervasio, Senior Lecturer, Roma Tre University

Dr. Silvia Colombo, Senior Fellow and Head of MENA Program, International Affairs Institute, Rome

10:30

Coffee break

11:00

Roundtable: Unifying of Diversifying? EU’s Policy Approach towards North Africa

Moderated by Olaf Wientzek, Coordinator European Policy, KAS Berlin

12:30

Closing Remarks