Nicolas Sarkozy will perform a diplomatic feat on Sunday when he gathers together 40 prime ministers and presidents to launch the Union for the Mediterranean, his drive to revive economic and political co-operation between the northern and southern shores of mare nostrum.

The French president deserves credit for encouraging his European Union colleagues to pay more attention to a forgotten corner in Europe’s backyard. North Africa is a region with huge potential in terms of its young population, energy resources and proximity to the world’s biggest trading bloc.