The EU and the Eastern Mediterranean [Recurso electrónico] : how to deal with Turkey Eduard Soler i Lecha

EU leaders and institutions have always seen Ankara as a difficult partner and a troubleso-me ally, but Turkey is increasingly depicted as a geopolitical rival.Intersecting conflicts, the assertive policies of key players and the crisis of trust between Turkey and its European and Western partners contributed to raising the tension in the Eas-tern Mediterranean in 2019 and 2020. The impossibility of the EU agreeing sanc-tions, Turkey’s perception that confrontation could be too costly, and the expectations crea-ted by Biden’s election in the US contributed to postponing a major crisis. The bases for this appeasement are fragile and sooner or later tensions will resurface. The Eastern Mediterranean is the space where an EU–Turkey rivalry may solidify or where a po-licy of productive engagement could be given a new chance. A more cohesive, frank and understanding EU could make a difference – one which avoids the temptation of a grand bargain, opts for the segmentation of contentious portfolios, and places a shared green recovery at the centre of a cooperative agenda.