Europe’s new subregionalism

From the Barents and the Baltic Sea in the north, through Central Europe and the Balkans, to the Black Sea in the south a range of new subregional groups and cooperation processes have emerged in Europe during the 1990s. Compared to NATO and the European Union, these new subregional groups have received little attention. Their 'indirect approach' to security, however, plays an important role in overcoming the legacy of the Cold War, reducing the risks of military conflict and addressing nonmilitary security challenges. As NATO and the EU expand eastwards, subregionalism is assuming growing importance as a means of avoiding new 'dividing lines' in Europe. After the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, subregionalism is also gaining importance as a means of building cooperation in South-Eastern Europe. The challenge for the future is to give more substance and depth to Europe's new subregional cooperation frameworks.