Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has accelerated the European Union’s transformation as a geopolitical role-player, making our neighboring countries in Eastern Europe a priority on the Union’s international agenda once again. This eastward shift will undoubtedly have repercussions on Brussels’ relations with the countries of the southern Mediterranean area, all of which are highly sensitive to the economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine, within their context of vulnerability aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organized by the Arab and Muslim Societies Study Group (GRESAM-UCLM), this international research seminar’s goal is to reflect on the relations between Europe and North African countries within the context of a chain of multidimensional crises since 2008 (economic and financial crisis, political crisis with anti-authoritarian protests, refugee crisis, the COVID-19 health crisis, the socio-economic impact of the Ukraine invasion, climate crisis, etc.). The seminar will analyze the dynamics of change and continuity within the frameworks of multilateral relations (Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, European Neighborhood Policy, etc.) and, above all, within the systems of bilateral relations of southern European countries, originally conceived in a regional and international atmosphere different from today’s.

This forms part of the activities in two research projects: “Crisis and processes of regional change in North Africa: their implications for Spain” (CSO2017-84949-C3-3-P) and “Crisis, diasporas and Islam in the Western Mediterranean” (CSO2017-84949-C3-1-P), funded by Spain’s Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO), the State Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with Casa Árabe participating as a Promoting Observer Entity (EPO).