EU Launches Mediterranean Pact to Counter Regional Rivals and Reassert Leadership

The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious initiative aimed at reversing its eroding influence across the southern Mediterranean. Dubbed the Pact for the Mediterranean, the policy launched on October 16, 2025, outlines a roadmap to deepen economic, security, and energy partnerships between Europe and its southern neighbors. The move comes at a time when global powers like China, Russia, and Gulf Arab states are aggressively courting the region, threatening the European Union’s historic ro