The EU’s Maritime Frontier: The Practice

Abstract

In its periphery, or neighbourhood, the EU applies a concentric geostrategy (cf. Figure 8.2): the closest to the EU, the most important in terms of security. Surrounded by the sea, except on parts of its eastern flank, the EU also projects security in its maritime margins, whose importance varies depending on the actual threats or issues under consideration. As a union of states, the EU shares its maritime geostrategy with member states as well as NATO. Therefore, a discussion of the various EU’s maritime margins cannot be conducted without widening the focus to member states’ and NATO’s actorness and agency as well.