The concept of regional cooperation among Mediterranean nations is not a new phenomenon. As early as the 1995 Barcelona Process, the groundwork was laid for a broad Euro-Mediterranean partnership. This ambitious initiative sought to establish a free-trade area and bolster political and economic ties between Europe and its neighbors to the south and east. These efforts found institutional expression in 2008 with the founding of the Union for the Mediterranean (UFM), a multilateral framework designed to drive regional integration, particularly in energy, infrastructure, and trade.

However, these expansive frameworks were often hampered by structural fragilities. They were frequently deemed too large and excessively political, lacking a sharp focus on the immediate........

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