There's trouble already, of course:

Israel and the Palestinians have disagreed over the final declaration of the Mediterranean summit held in Paris, France's foreign minister has said.

Bernard Kouchner said the wording of the founding text of the Union for the Mediterranean would have to be changed.

There were difficulties with the use of the term "national and democratic state" to describe Israel, he said.
(BBC)

Not that I like Sarko taking credit for things, but Germany has been sabotaging him for over a year on his attempt to revitalize the Barcelona Process.

Let me put it as clearly as I can: if Germany doesn't oppose a "Black Sea Synergy" even though it doesn't involve Germany as an EU member state (naturally, since Germany is not on the Black Sea), why are they so opposed to a Mediterranean partnership involving only the Mediterranean EU member states? Is this about denying France a sphere of influence after making sure the EU served to incorporate all of Germany's, plus the Baltic cooperation? What if France sabotaged the Baltic cooperation like Germany sabotages the Mediterranean Union on the grounds that France doesn't have a seat at the Baltic table?

</rant>

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

Taking a cab to the airport in Denver Sunday, the cabbie was from Mali. First thing he says when he hears my wife and I talking in french with the kids is "Sarkozy," and goes on to say how much the President understands where history is going, what a good man he is, et c.

We both bit our tongues, of course.

And though I too am sceptical of this big plan, for my part, the scepticism is more along the lines of the project doesn't nearly do enough, to develop the whole region, both human and economic, to redress some imbalances and resulting economic de-development in the maghreb and sub-saharan africa, that eu mercantilism has occasioned in trading relationships over the past few decades, et c. Fact is, as many of the leaders learned in Paris over this past week-end....there's no money for any of the talk.

But of course, in terms of PR, as my cabby demonstrated, quite the coup. And for all the ill I will speak of M. Sarkozy, I suspect he understands one thing - you do not solve the problem of migrations in an orderly, chosen fashion without arresting the de-development of africa.

Freiheit ist immer Freiheit der Andersdenkenden

I good exercise would be to paint leading centre and areas of influence in both maps, as well of degrees of political/economica/social intertwinning... Similarities would decrease...
The Barcelona process was in the 90s, and none new about it either... Because the EU core (Benelux-Germany-UK-France) was poletely in but strategicaly out of the project (Remember that French views on foreign policy are still based on independence principles, feeling detached from NATO, but also fron EU).
Don't think the picture is very much changed, although I don't have data to support my feeling right now... The Union for the Balkans and God Bless building business in Turkey are much fashionable projects...
Oh, but money for building nice borders far our the EU (in the southern/Eastern border of these countries, with its lovely retention camps in countries with doubtful respect for Human Rights, don't worry, that will be a piece of cake.

So you think that Sarko is doing this for "good" reasons? Well, for me, there's too reasons. One, as I said, taking the borders farther, "outsourcing" borders. The other, another smart step in his strategy to co-opt second and third generation migrant leaders in France (see Ministry lists and so on).