Is There a Mediterranean Finance?

This article, more political than academic, is based on three firm beliefs: first, Mediterranean finance is not homogeneous, as the Mediterranean area itself; second, most of the efforts, as far as Mediterranean finance is concerned, must be devoted to SMBs (Small and Medium Size Businesses); third, public international institutions, as well local banks, doesn't answer this second issue.

Are we obliged to be defeatist in these circumstances? Surely not, but at four conditions: (1) promote demographic and technological complementarity between the South and the North of the Mediterranean area; (2) focus more and more the public and private investments towards industries and geographical areas which are considered by all specialists as priorities; (3) multiply the “financial bridges” public and private who can help the financing of SMBs, especially in private equity; (4) in all these fields, keep in mind the south Mediterranean countries can be “bridge heads” of the finance of sub-Saharian African countries (and especially of the SMBs in these countries) which are, for the years to come, a fantastic lever of growth for the Mediterranean area, but also for Europe as a whole.