Fostering EU-Italy-GCC Cooperation:
The Political, Economic and Energy Dimensions

Joint seminar sponsored by the

Gulf Research Center (GRC)
and
The Istituto Affari Internazionali

Rome, December 13, 2006

Introduction:

The relationship between the member states of the European Union (EU) and those of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is multifaceted and has over the years taken on a number of dimensions. Most importantly, ties between the two sides are increasingly being defined away from the traditional economic relationship to include a whole variety of security topics. Terrorism, the impact of the US-led invasion of Iraq and its consequences, the engagement of the EU-3 in the negotiations with Iran over that country’s nuclear program are some of the most obvious topics that play a role. Moreover, the debate over energy security has taken on a specific momentum within the member states of the European Union as the continent looks to lessen its dependence on a single source. As a result, the Gulf is being seen within a differentiated light that points towards greater opportunities of better defining the EU-GCC relationship.

The emergence of the European Security Strategy in December 2003 and other initiatives such as NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative unveiled in 2004, underlined that Europe is attempting to define what a potential European role in the Gulf region could look like and to what degree Europe can assist the Gulf States from overcoming their perennial security problem. These initial steps also emphasize however that substantive debate on specific issues is required in order to provide for a better road-map for the impending challenges ahead.

As a contribution to the debate, the Gulf Research Center and the Istituto Affari Internazionali will host a joined seminar entitled “Fostering EU-Italy-GCC Cooperation: The Political, Economic and Energy Dimensions.” This meeting will bring together experts and policy officials from Europe, the GCC States and “interested” other countries to illuminate the problem areas that Europe faces in the Gulf and to put the different approaches on the table into their proper context. Of specific concern will be how to move from the current still vague and largely theoretical notions of GCC-EU cooperation into more policy-applicable and relevant approaches that build on past European experiences.