After the Mediterranean enlargements of the European Community in the early 1980s, Greece’s position has enhanced further the strategic significance of the Mediterranean for Europe, not least because this ‘unique body of water’, to borrow a phrase, constitutes a crucial fault-line where several civilisations have mutually influenced and enriched each other. Today, Greece is called upon to play an important role in promoting peace and stability in the region. The twin analytical foci of this article aim at developing a better understanding of the emerging Euro-Mediterranean system and of Greece’s role in it, both as part of the European integration project and as an integral part of the fledging Barcelona Process