Conflicts in the EastMed: From Germany’s and France’s Conflicting Strategies to a Dual Approach

Over the past years, the Eastern Mediterranean has become centerstage of an increasingly internationalized and militarized conflict driven by different albeit interlinked issues and an arena for a growing variety of actors to project their geopolitical ambitions. - Even though Germany and France broadly share similar concerns regarding Turkey, their views differ on the question of how to best respond to Ankara, impacting the EU’s ability to respond to the arising challenges. - Berlin has favored a more conciliatory approach, not least because Turkey remains an important albeit challenging partner for Berlin. Paris has come to see Turkey foremost as a geopolitical rival whose ambitions and disruptive policies need to be curbed by a harder EU line. - Structural domestic differences and diverging threat perceptions shape differing responses even to converging concerns. - The EU’s current “dual approach” attempts to bridge these differences. However, France and Germany need to clarify their common expectations to overcome their divergences regarding immediate interests and strategic outlooks.