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Regional integration agreements have increased in number, scope and diversity over the last two decades of the twentieth century. In the twenty-first century, the trend towards regional cooperation looks set to continue as governments and states opt for cooperation to serve a variety of purposes and to secure common interests. Regional cooperation serves to reconcile the tensions between globalisation pressures and the demands for greater local autonomy, while offering states an opportunity to retain their own autonomy over political processes.
This database sets out the principal regional integration agreements currently existing, and offers an interactive search of the regional organisations and the countries involved. Users can select a regional organisation, and identify the member countries, the purpose and legal framework of the organisation, its institutions and governance system, as well as the level of integration. The web address of the regional organisation is included wherever available, as well as links to other relevant organisations. The database can also be used to check individual countries' membership of regional organisations, and to identify overlapping membership in several organisations. From the database, it is also possible to establish more comprehensive, specific national country data by following the links indicated. This Regional Integration Information System aims to profile the principal regional integration systems existing in the world today, but it does not claim to be fully comprehensive in its coverage of all regional cooperation in a world where new agreements form rapidly and old ones merge or disappear. The database will be updated regularly to take account of new developments. |
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