Europe and the Mediterranean Border

In the present phase of European integration, after the end of the cold war and facing the enlargement of the Union and the progressive crisis of the Nation-state, it is difficult to shape a new European perspective without taking into consideration the role of the southern basin of the Mediterranean sea. The countries in that area, in fact, represent both a challenge and a resource for the future of Europe, its international role and its attitude towards the economical and cultural diversity. The Mediterranean area can be a balancing force in the process of European construction, moving also southward the integration and helping to develop the idea of partaking the common risks. Reflecting on the relationship with the “different” in the Mediterranean area will be a good exercise for those who shall increasingly relate to a “foreigner” outside and inside the “fortress Europe”. The dialogue between Europe and the southern Mediterranean requires sociologists to analyse deeply the issue of relationship among different societies. Moreover, the relationship with Islam calls into question the European tolerance based on secularity, and its capability to be a model for a pluralistic integration from below.