SHADE MED conference 2022
SHADE MED 2022: New challenges to regional security in the Mediterranean - The conclusions of the conference and the challenges for 2023
The 11th edition of the Conference SHADE MED 2022 – “Shared Awareness and De-confliction in the Mediterranean”, took place in Rome on 15 and 16 November.
The event, co-organised by Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI and the NATO Maritime Command (MARCOM), saw the participation of high-level speakers who drew a picture of the complex situation that the Mediterranean region is experiencing. This is the third time that Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI is organising this event and the first time in person.
The SHADE MED 2022 was attended by 200 guests from 31 countries and 25 organisations. Diplomats, academics, military and industry expert representatives exchanged their views and assessments on the challenges and opportunities arising in this busy sea, historic crossroad of three continents. Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Libya’s political instability are having a significant impact in the Mediterranean, the MENA region and the Sahel. Security operations like Sea Guardian and IRINI are bastions of international legality in time of conflict, energy and climate crisis such as resurging old and new tensions between local and global powers.
“The co-organisation of SHADE MED by IRINI and MARCOM is a demonstration of the importance that both the EU and NATO play in the Mediterranean. Our shared understanding of the vital importance of maritime security in the Mediterranean is critical for the European and transatlantic world”, underlined Vice Admiral Didier Piaton, Deputy Commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command, during his speech at the conference.
Rear Admiral Stefano Turchetto, Operation Commander of EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, concluded, “Our nations in NATO and EU are preeminent actors in fighting threats to global and regional security, as in the Mediterranean Sea with Operations Sea Guardian and IRINI. No matter the size or the nature, the participation of so many Nations in solving these issues is a great success itself.”
SHADE MED 2023 is set to take place next autumn, when IRINI will take stock of the results and good practices undertaken this year and the one to come.
More information, pictures and documents on our SHADE MED event page.
Keynote Speakers:
- Nick CHILDS, Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), London
- Ruben-Erik DIAZ PLAJA, Senior Policy Advisor, Policy Planning Unit, office of the Secretary general, NATO
- Daniel FIOTT, Head of the Defence and Statecraft Programme at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Brussels School of Governance
- Jamie Patrick SHEA, Professor of Strategy and Security, University of Exeter
- Rear Admiral Stefan PAULY, Commander Surface Forces NATO and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operation, Allied Maritime Command
- Rear Admiral Massimiliano LAURETTI, Head of Military Policy and Planning Department, Italy
- Alessia MELCANGI, La Sapienza University, Rome
- Thomas VOLK, Director Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Germany
- Tim EATON, MENA Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House, London
- Christian BUEGER, Professor of International Relations, University of Copenhagen
- Sidhart KAUSHAL, Sea Power Fellow, Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, London
- Catherine WARNER, Director, Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation, La Spezia
- Eugenio DACREMA, Early Warning Team and Economic Risk Analyst for WFP
- Vincenzo PALMIERI, Libya and Maghreb Political Analyses Manager, ENI
- George TZOGOPOULOS, Centre International de Formation Européenne (CIFE)
