France will assume the EU presidency in July and its President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has already met the press in Paris last week to talk about his 'grand projects' for Europe.
He not only intends to start cracking a tough nut - the composition of the EU budget - but also wants to create a new Mediterranean Union.
Mr Sarkozy's envoys are already spreading the word, as Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French Minister for Europe, did this weekend while meeting some of the top Maltese authorities in Valletta.
Proposed originally in 2007 during Mr Sarkozy's electoral campaign, the Mediterranean Union project is to be launched officially in Paris on July 13, a day before the Bastille Day celebrations.
Interviewed by The Sunday Times, Mr Jouyet said that France had very detailed plans for this union which is to be centred on co-operation and between equal partners.
"It is an initiative which will be founded on concrete projects calling for the mobilisation of states as well as civil societies, companies, associations and NGOs. The aim of this project is not to be a substitute to existing ones, like the Barcelona process, the EU's Neighbourhood policy, or the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, but to complement them."
Although the Mediterranean Union is primarily a French initiative and is not perceived positively by some EU member states, Mr Jouyet said that France wants this project to become a European one.
According to Mr Jouyet there is no doubt that Malta should be a prime supporter of this project.
"Malta was one of the founding fathers of the idea of a union for the Mediterranean in the late 1990s, in a different international context, along somewhat different parameters, but the idea was there.
"Malta, which recently hosted the headquarters of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, has shown it is indeed keen to play a major role in the Mediterranean because it has always been at the centre of the Mediterranean and has a natural understanding of its problems. In other words, Malta has all the qualities to support this project." Although, diplomatically speaking, relations between Malta and France are described as "excellent", in reality the two countries were never considered to be the best of friends. This may have historic deep roots, related also to the short Napoleonic years in Malta. Even during the recent EU accession negotiations, France was not considered to be in the island's circle of friends.
Mr Jouyet admits that there is a perception problem: "The fact that for so long Malta has been within the British sphere of influence may have distorted the careful attention France always gave to Malta. It is a question of perception that we have to correct since it does not match reality. This is why our policy should make sure that not only our governments but also our people should be more and better 'exposed' to each other."
He denies claims that as a small country Malta does not carry weight.
"There is no such thing in Europe as a so-called 'small country'. Malta, like France, is deeply committed to the success of the European political project and with the introduction of the euro, Malta is showing that it now stands at the core of the EU."
The French minister describes Malta's contribution to the EU so far as very qualitative: "To quote one of your former Presidents, Malta's contribution in the world and specifically in Europe, has to be measured not through what could be seen as 'importance' in terms of territory, population, and economic weight, but through its 'relevance', in terms of political input.
"And yes, definitively in this regard, Malta's contribution is an outstanding one. What strikes me, as Minister for European Affairs, is that Malta goes directly to the point where the European project is at stake. Our collaboration in this field must not be measured in terms of quantity but in terms of relevance; and it is a good collaboration, not in terms of agreement or disagreement but in terms of the research of a constructive dialogue. And this dialogue is a constructive one."
One of the most recent spats Malta had with France is connected to the maritime sphere.
In 1999, Maltese-registered tanker Erika, loaded with some 20,000 tonnes of fuel, oil sank in the Bay of Biscay off the coast of France causing one of the biggest environmental disasters. France pointed fingers at Malta and it took years for the Maltese flag to restore its credibility.
Mr Jouyet describes this incident as unfortunate, especially as both countries are vulnerable to such incidents. However, he said that Malta had made great efforts since then to strengthen its maritime sector.