Regional integration
Regional integration refers to a process where neighboring states agree to intensify their cooperation through common rules and common institutions. While the European integration process with the European Union (EU) is by far the most extensive example of regional integration, similar processes has been launched both in Africa (African Union), Asia (ASEAN).
Regional integration can be organized either via supranational institutional structures or through intergovernmentaldecision-making, or a combination of both.
Regional integration often starts with a removal of barriers to free trade in the region, increasing the free movement of people, labour, goods, and capital across national borders, reducing the possibility of regional armed conflict and adopting cohesive regional stances on policy issues, such as the environment, climate change and migration.
Regional integration in Europe is by far the most extensive integration process. It started out as a peace project after the end of the second world war (in the 1950s) and was consolidated with the Treaty on the European Union (the Maastricht Treaty), which came into force in November 1993 and established the European Union. Since then it has continued to develop and to adapt to a changing geopolitical and intra-European context.
Examples of NUPI's research areas on regional integration includes:
- The European Union (the EU) and EEA
- The African Union
- Nordic cooperation
- Regional integration in Asia and Eurasia (ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU))
News about regional integration
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What does China really want in the Middle East?
16 Dec 2019In a recent article, NUPI research fellow Henrik S. Hiim and Stig Stenslie aim to find an answer.
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Rethinking differentiated integration
17 Sep 2019Several NUPI researchers contributed to the debate about differentiated integration in the area of security and defence at the annual conference of the European International Studies Association (EISA) in Sofia, Bulgaria last week.
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New CADGAT Data Reviews on 261 Belt and Road (BRI) Projects in Central Asia
28 Aug 2019One of the main observations from the research is that nobody really knows what a BRI project is and what it is not.
Publications about regional integration
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Publication
: Academic article
Russia in world trade: Between globalism and regionalism
The article examines Russia’s participation in world trade and trade policy, using trade data for 1996–2017 and simulations of a numerical world trade model where Russia is divided into domestic regions. Since the mid-1990s, Russia’s foreign trade has grown much faster than the world average. This was... -
Publication
: Academic article
‘Practice time!’ Doxic futures in security and defence diplomacy after Brexit
2019Time constitutes social life and time management is central to the everyday conduct of international politics. For some reason, however, the practice turn in International Relations (IR) has produced knowledge about how past practices constitute international politics but not about how the future is... -
Publication
: Academic article
Free trade agreements in a small, open country: The case of Norway
2019Negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) has been a high political priority for Norway. Today it has agreements with 41 countries outside the European Union (EU) / the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), resulting one the world’s most extensive FTA networks. FTAs cover about 10% of Norway’s trade...
Research projects about regional integration
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Research project
Common Fear Factors in Foreign Policy (COMFEAR)
2019 - 2020 (Ongoing)COMFEAR aims to identify key issues of common concern and shared threats as perceived by publics and policymakers in Czechia and Norway.
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Research project
EU Integration and Differentiation for Effectiveness and Accountability (EU IDEA)
2019 - 2021 (Ongoing)EU IDEA has a threefold aim, notably to break new ground on differentiated integration in terms of conceptual approach, policies and networks.
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Foto: Etienne Ansotte/EC Audiovisual Sevice
Research project
Balancing between integration and autonomy. Understanding the drivers and mechanisms of EU's foreign, security and defense policy (EUFLEX)
2019 - 2021 (Ongoing)The project will investigate the ongoing process towards differentiated integration in European foreign, security and defence policy.