Three concrete areas represent the framework around which the Gulf Research Center and the Istituto Affari Internazionali in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Italy held a workshop on fostering EU-Italy-GCC Relations. These include EU-GCC cooperation in the context of globalization and regional developments; organizing a regional security system in the Gulf; and the security of European energy. This edited volume which contains some of the papers delivered at the meeting shows that there exists a wide scope for following through on a more ambitious agenda regarding present EU-GCC ties. Specific areas mentioned include cooperation in the development of strategic oil stocks, the improvement of Gulf education systems through EU expertise, and the combination of Gulf investments and EU know-how in the development of the neighboring Mediterranean economies.
