German-Maghreb-Relations amid the New Pact for the Mediterranean: Discussing the future of Mediterranean relations at the MECAM Policy Talk 2026

By Julius Dihstelhoff & Clara-Auguste Süß

The Mediterranean has become a key arena for addressing some of the most pressing policy challenges facing Europe and its southern neighbours. Energy security and the green transition, migration governance, regional stability, and security cooperation all converge in the region, making the future of EU-Maghreb relations strategically important for Germany as well. Against this backdrop, several key questions arise: How can partnerships across the Mediterranean be shaped in a way that is grounded in equality, reciprocity, and mutual benefit? How should Euro-Mediterranean cooperation be navigated amid ongoing geopolitical crises and declining trust? And what opportunities does the European Union’s new policy framework offer for rethinking regional cooperation?

These questions have gained renewed urgency with the launch of the New Pact for the Mediterranean in November 2025, marking the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process. Rather than introducing an entirely new policy agenda, the Pact can also be understood as a response to a profoundly changing geopolitical environment. At a time when Europe faces increasing strategic fragmentation, shifting global alliances and declining trust across the Mediterranean, it seeks to reconnect previously fragmented policy fields under a more coherent strategic framework. Built around three pillars—people; sustainable and integrated economies; and security, preparedness, and migration management—the Pact aims to redefine Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in this changing geopolitical context.¹

Against this timely backdrop, the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) dedicated the 2026 edition of its annual Policy Talk to the theme “The Future of Mediterranean Relations: German and Maghrebi Perspectives on the New Pact for the Mediterranean.”² Designed to bridge academic research and policy dialogue, the event aimed to contribute to informed political decision-making, deepen trans-Mediterranean cooperation and strengthen MECAM’s engagement with Berlin’s policy community. The discussions also highlighted the growing importance of long-term academic cooperation and knowledge exchange in fostering dialogue across the Mediterranean.

Bringing together leading scholars, policymakers, and practitioners, the 2026 MECAM Policy Talk explored the European Union’s evolving approach to Mediterranean relations, highlighting both persistent challenges and emerging opportunities. Discussions addressed pathways towards sustainable development, more inclusive political dialogue, and balanced economic partnerships. Particular attention was paid to the importance of cultural exchange, security cooperation, and environmental stewardship as essential components of a more equitable regional partnership.

A central objective of the event was to bring German and Maghrebi perspectives into direct conversation. By jointly examining both the substance and the implementation of the New Pact, participants reflected on the broader future of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment. Bringing together diverse voices from across the Mediterranean, the Policy Talk created space for critical dialogue on what a more balanced and genuinely reciprocal partnership could look like.

Organised by the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), the Policy Talk consisted of two complementary formats. On the morning of 25 June 2026, MECAM hosted a closed-door expert exchange on the topic “Geopolitics in and of the Mediterranean”at the GIGA Berlin Office under Chatham House Rules, enabling open and candid discussion. Co-chaired by MECAM’s Academic Coordinator, Dr. Raoul Humpert, and Dr. Clara-Auguste Süß, the session featured three expert interventions. Prof. Dr. Amel Boubekeur (Aix-Marseille Université) spoke on “Green Transition, Resource Sovereignty, and Selective Cooperation: The Algerian Case.” Dr. Hakkı Taş (GIGA) analysed “The Role of Turkey in the (Eastern) Mediterranean,” while Dr. Daniel Tödt (German Africa Foundation) examined “Africa, Europe, and the Limits of Mediterranean Geopolitics.” The impulses were followed by an in-depth discussion with Berlin-based practitioners from political foundations, academia, and think tanks, allowing participants to engage directly on current policy challenges and recent research findings.

The public Policy Talk took place later that afternoon at the Representation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to the Federation in Berlin. Under the title “The Future of Mediterranean Relations: German and Maghrebi Perspectives on the New Pact for the Mediterranean”,the roundtable brought together Prof. Dr. Rachid Ouaissa, Salma Badda, Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz, and Dr. Imene Gannouni Khemiri. Moderated by MECAM Co-Director (Germany) Dr. Julius Dihstelhoff, the discussion concluded with remarks by Katharina Ziegler from the Federal Foreign Office’s Division for Bilateral and EU Relations with the Maghreb, who provided valuable insights from a diplomatic perspective. The event attracted a diverse audience, including representatives from federal ministries, political parties, academic institutions, and political foundations. Throughout the discussion, participants demonstrated a shared commitment to strengthening dialogue and developing more sustainable forms of cooperation across the Mediterranean.

While participants approached the Pact from different disciplinary and political perspectives, a recurring observation was that many of its individual policy instruments are not entirely new, but build on long-standing initiatives such as the Barcelona Process, the European Neighbourhood Policy, Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, or the Union for the Mediterranean. Rather, the discussion suggested that the Pact seeks to provide a more coherent strategic framework capable of connecting existing initiatives—ranging from mobility and research cooperation to energy, investment and migration governance—within a common geopolitical vision for the Mediterranean. What distinguishes the New Pact is therefore less the introduction of new policy instruments than its ambition to reconnect these previously fragmented policy fields within a more coherent strategic framework. More fundamentally, the discussions at the Policy Talk reflected a broader shift in the assumptions underpinning Euro-Mediterranean cooperation since the Barcelona Process. Several participants argued that many of the political and economic assumptions that shaped cooperation in the 1990s no longer hold in an increasingly fragmented and multipolar international environment, requiring new approaches to partnership and regional cooperation.

The conversations generated a rich exchange of ideas. Among the many issues discussed, three key insights stood out:

1. Trust-building between the European Union and its Southern Mediterranean partners is key. The success of the New Pact for the Mediterranean will ultimately depend on rebuilding trust across the region (and within the European Union itself). Recent geopolitical crises and wars, particularly in Palestine and Lebanon, have strained relations and reinforced perceptions of double standards, undermining confidence in the EU as a reliable and balanced partner. Against this backdrop, the New Pact could offer an opportunity for a fresh start by fostering a more inclusive and genuinely reciprocal approach to cooperation. While the Pact contains many promising principles and ambitious objectives, participants agreed that its credibility will depend on their consistent implementation. Only if commitments are translated into concrete policies and partnerships will the Pact be able to contribute to renewed trust and more sustainable Euro-Mediterranean relations. Several participants therefore argued that the Pact’s success will ultimately be judged less by its ambitious rhetoric than by its ability to demonstrate reciprocity in practice. Co-ownership, equal partnerships and visible political consistency emerged as essential preconditions for rebuilding credibility. Whether this renewed framework will succeed in fostering genuinely reciprocal partnerships, however, will ultimately depend on its implementation and on whether it is perceived as addressing shared interests rather than primarily European priorities.
2. Policies must move beyond a security-first approach, especially when it comes to migration and mobility issues. As Imene Gannouni Khemiri argues in her accompanying blog contribution, the New Pact will only gain credibility if it overcomes the longstanding perception that the EU’s engagement with the southern Mediterranean is primarily driven by migration control and security concerns. Participants therefore emphasised that mobility should be understood more broadly—not only as a question of border management but also of education, research cooperation, youth exchange and scientific collaboration. In this regard, science diplomacy and long-term knowledge partnerships were identified as important confidence-building measures that can contribute to more balanced and genuinely reciprocal Euro-Mediterranean relations. Rather than treating these areas as complementary to security cooperation, the Pact should treat them as strategic pillars of regional partnership in their own right – and recognise the Maghreb as a strategic partner with shared interests and agency.
3. The Mediterranean cannot be understood in isolation, but within broader regional and geopolitical contexts. As we argued in the context of the MECAM Policy Talk 2025, North and Sub-Saharan Africa are “deeply intertwined: historically, politically, socially, economically and environmentally”.³ The same holds true for the Mediterranean itself, whose development has long been shaped by mobility, trade, and interconnected political dynamics.⁴ Participants further stressed that today’s Mediterranean is increasingly embedded in a changing international order characterised by growing geopolitical competition and the rising influence of regional and middle powers. As Prof. Rachid Ouaissa argued during the discussion, the Maghreb should no longer be regarded as Europe’s periphery or merely as a buffer zone, but as a strategic region in its own right.⁵ Recognising this shift, participants agreed, will be essential for building more balanced and forward-looking Euro-Mediterranean partnerships. Moreover, as Europe is no longer the only attractive political and economic partner for countries in the region, the success of the New Pact will also depend on its ability to offer credible and mutually beneficial forms of cooperation within an increasingly competitive geopolitical landscape. In this context, the Pact can also be understood as the European Union’s attempt to reposition itself within an increasingly multipolar regional environment while fostering more balanced and resilient partnerships across the Mediterranean.

Taken together, the discussions made clear that the success of the New Pact for the Mediterranean will depend less on ambitious policy declarations than on its ability to foster genuinely reciprocal partnerships. Participants agreed that addressing shared challenges requires sustained dialogue that acknowledges the diversity of interests and experiences across the Mediterranean. Several participants also observed that many of the Pact’s individual instruments build on existing initiatives. From this perspective, the Pact can be understood as an attempt to reconnect previously fragmented policy fields within a more coherent strategic framework for Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. Ultimately, its success is therefore likely to be judged less by the novelty of its individual instruments than by its ability to translate this framework into credible and mutually beneficial political practice. In this regard, sustained academic exchange and science diplomacy can play an important role in rebuilding trust, fostering long-term partnerships, and facilitating dialogue across both shores of the Mediterranean. By bringing together academic expertise and policy perspectives from Europe and the Maghreb, the 2026 MECAM Policy Talk demonstrated the value of sustained dialogue across research and policy communities. In doing so, it also reaffirmed MECAM’s commitment to contributing to a more balanced, inclusive, and forward-looking Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

About the authors:

Dr. Julius Dihstelhoff, serving as the Director ‘Germany’ of the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) in Tunis/Tunisia since April 2025. Prior to this, from May 2020 to March 2025, he worked as the Academic Coordinator (Postdoc) for the center. Holding a PhD in Political Science from Philipps-Universität Marburg, his research focuses on German foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa region, political transformation processes in Tunisia, regional (re)organization in the MENA and political Islam.

Dr. Clara-Auguste Süß, serving as the Outreach Manager for the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) since May 2024. She is responsible for coordinating MECAM’s outreach events, effectively the Rencontres Ibn Khaldun and the MECAM Policy Talk, as well as MECAM’s representation at (inter)national scientific conferences. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Goethe University Frankfurt/Main. As a Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), her research focuses on political violence, radicalization and social movements in the Maghreb, particularly Tunisia.

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References:

1 https://north-africa-middle-east-gulf.ec.europa.eu/what-we-do/pact-mediterranean_en

2 https://mecam.tn/events/3rd-mecam-policy-talk-in-berlin/?lang=en

3 Clara-Auguste Süß, André Bank, Julius Dihstelhoff, Bridging the Maghreb-Sahel Divide in Policy and Research: Take-aways from the MECAM Policy Talk 2025, in: TRAFO – Blog for Transregional Research, 28.08.2025, https://trafo.hypotheses.org/60913.

4 Manuel Borutta (in conversation with Clara-Auguste Süß), (De)colonizing the French Mediterranean: Connections and Power Relations, in: TRAFO – Blog for Transregional Research, 02.10.2025, https://trafo.hypotheses.org/61765.

5 Rachid Ouaissa, De l’héritage colonial au partenariat stratégique : l’Union européenne et le Maghreb, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 10.06.2026, https://algeria.fes.de/e/de-lheritage-colonial-au-partenariat-strategique-lunion-europeenne-et-le-maghreb.html.

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Citation: Julius Dihstelhoff, Clara-Auguste Süß, German-Maghreb-Relations amid the New Pact for the Mediterranean: Discussing the future of Mediterranean relations at the MECAM Policy Talk 2026, in TRAFO – Blog for Transregional Research. 03.09.26. https://trafo.hypotheses.org/?p=68255

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