Joseph Joseph, Prof. Constantinou, and Dr. Pavlos I. Koktsidis), and the University of Venice Ca' Foscari and the Ben Gurion University of the Negev are delighted to announce the succesful initiation of the EU funded Erasmus Plus project EastMed. The main objective of the EastMed project is the development of a HEI-level Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), focusing on the region of the Eastern Medi
terranean. The MOOC, entitled “EU and the Eastern Mediterranean: Prospects and Challenges”, will give an emphasis to the concurrent refugee crisis and energy security, and will be developed and delivered in accordance with ECTS/ESG. Europe and the Mediterranean countries are bound by history, geography and culture. At the crossroads of the European, African and Asian continents, the Mediterranean region presents political and economic challenges that have recently relaunched the debate on Euro-Mediterranean integration and cooperation. The Eastern Mediterranean has existed geographically throughout the ages. However, developments in the 21st century have necessitated viewing it conceptually as a distinct “new” region with specific characteristics. Comprised by Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Turkey, the region is assuming increased significance in world affairs. More specifically, the region of Eastern Mediterranean is currently of vital importance for the EU, due to a number of prospects and challenges. The Eastern part of the Mediterranean is indeed witnessing some of the most intriguing, worrisome and dangerous events in today’s world. Considering the civil war raging in Syria, the rise of ISIS, the unraveling of Libya, the strength of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, the outbreak of Islamic sectarian conflicts, the uncertainty about Egypt’s future (and that of the Arab Spring more generally), the ambition (and some would argue unpredictability) of Turkey, substantial new energy findings and, more recently, a refugee crisis. Understanding the Eastern Mediterranean as a “new” regional unit can lead to more prescient analyses of shared regional challenges and, perhaps more importantly, actions and initiatives aiming at cooperation and stability. EastMed contributes to the achievement of opening up education, beyond geographical obstacles, promotes mobility and contributes to the EU foreign policy agenda, as it recommends understanding the region as a distinct territorial unit, thus offering a new analytical tool in the frame of European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The project has a duration of 36 months and ends on 31.08.2019.
