Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Hosted at http://www.allbest.ru/

ECONOMIC UNIONS

international regional trading bloc

Significant shifts in the development of world trade in the second half of the 20th century contributed to the emergence of new phenomena in its international organization. Among these phenomena is the so-called regionalism, that is, agreements on especially close cooperation between individual countries, such as free trade zones, customs unions. The number of such groups by the end of the 90s, according to various estimates, ranged from 80 to 100. According to the World Bank, about half of world trade is carried out within such zones.

Among the most famous zones: the European Free Trade Association, the European Union, the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization (APEC) and others. The members of the nine largest international regional trade blocs are listed below:

1. European Union (EU) - Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Greece.

2. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - USA, Canada, Mexico.

3. European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein.

4. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, China, Canada, USA, Mexico, Chile.

5. MERCOSUR - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay.

6. South African Development Committee (SADC) - Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe.

7. West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) - Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal, Benin, Mali.

8. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal.

9. Andean Pact - Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia.

Objective processes of a political, economic, and historical nature lead to the formation of such blocs. The formation of free trade zones does not introduce fundamental changes in the world economy. The activation of such processes, on the one hand, contributes to the development of international trade (within zones, blocs, regions), and on the other hand, creates a number of obstacles for it that are inherent in any more or less closed formation. In particular, the establishment of feed-in tariffs within the framework of a regional association leads to the fact that trade is conducted inefficiently. This process in international practice is characterized as "trade deviation". To obtain the best results, a country should be guided by the principle of "comparative advantage". Thus, if the United States imports Mexican goods only because they are allowed duty-free, while Malaysia or Taiwan has a comparative advantage in the production of a number of goods over Mexican ones, then trade undoubtedly becomes less efficient. At the same time, the range of "trade deviations" can be quite significant.

The decisive criterion for evaluating regional agreements is the extent to which they make a significant difference between the member countries of the agreement and those states that do not participate in these agreements. International practice shows that high external tariffs, for example, on the MERCOSUR market lead Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to import goods from each other, even if it would be more profitable for them to buy them somewhere else.

The grouping of countries into economic blocs does not mean unconditional progress in the implementation of the ideas of free trade or capitulation to protectionist principles. The dilemma "free trade" or protectionism does not cease to exist. It is transferred to a different level of foreign trade relations, at which the decision on the choice of the economic policy of a group of states in relation to third countries is determined. It is characteristic that even within the framework of individual trade and economic groupings, contradictions arise between some countries, developing into so-called "trade wars" (for example, cod, grape, oil "wars" between EU member states).

By the end of the 1990s, there was a transition from "trade wars" to foreign economic ones. If trade wars take the form of tough measures aimed at countering or encouraging export expansion with the help of state regulation (tariff, non-tariff quotas, licensing, taxes, etc.), then other methods and methods of competition are used in the foreign economic struggle.

First of all, this refers to the desire to put under control the key sectors of the economy of a country by exporting goods to the infrastructure prepared for this. And as a result, there is a threat of their "rejection" or a subsequent increase in the export of related goods and objects. The final step is the "credit strike", the transfer of national income, etc.

On the way to a single, global system of the world market, there are still many obstacles and conflicts of interest that will arise in the course of interaction between individual countries and trade and economic groups with each other. The member countries of the trade and economic blocs, understanding the complexity and inconsistency of the current situation on the world market, are striving to look for ways to positively resolve existing problems and contradictions.

Regional trade groupings, according to the World Trade Organization, weaken the mechanisms for regulating international trade agreed within its framework and hinder global economic integration. In this regard, the WTO advocates the adoption of a single set of rules governing the conditions for the creation of trading blocs. Thus, the trade policy of the participants in trading blocs should be compatible with WTO rules, and the agreements should be open for other countries to join them.

Common Market of the Southern Cone (MERCOSUR)

The largest of the unions, the most dynamically developing and influential - MERCOSUR, created in 1991 on the basis of the Asuncion Treaty. In terms of size and economic potential, MERCOSUR is the second (after the EU) customs union and the third (after the EU and the North American Free Trade Area) free trade area.

Organizational structure MERCOSUR is flexible, simple and practical, requiring the representation of the government of each of the four participating countries, but does not imply the creation of any supranational body. All decisions are made by consensus.

The supreme governing body of MERCOSUR is the Common Market Council, which includes the ministers of foreign affairs and the economy. It is convened at least once every six months. Its meetings culminate in summits that approve the Council's decisions.

The executive body is the Common Market Group (CMG), which consists of four plenipotentiaries and four deputies from the participating countries, appointed by governments and including representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs, economy and central banks. The activity of the GOR is coordinated by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the participating countries.

The GOR has 10 working groups on specific areas of cooperation and the Commission on Trade, designed to ensure the implementation of a common trade policy within the framework of the customs union. The Council and the GOR are headed by the participating countries in turn every six months.

The MERCOSUR system also includes the Joint Parliamentary Commission, which includes representatives of national parliaments, and the Consultative Socio-Economic Forum, created to ensure the participation of representatives of business and trade unions in the development of recommendations for the GOR. Technical functions in MERCOSUR are entrusted to the Administrative Secretariat, located in Montevideo (Uruguay).

The deepening of economic integration in the Southern Cone is accompanied by the strengthening of MERCOSUR as a political entity. In 1996, the summit in San Luis (Argentina) committed itself to holding joint consultations and implementing political pressure measures in the event of a threat to the democratic order in one of the member states of the association.

MERCOSUR attaches great importance to the creation of a system that guarantees the fulfillment of the obligations undertaken by the participating countries as an indispensable condition for the successful promotion of integration initiatives.

If direct negotiations of the interested parties do not lead to the settlement of the disputed issue, it is referred to the GOR, which acts as an intermediary and develops recommendations. If they are not accepted by the parties, an Arbitration Court is formed, the decision of which is final. As evidenced by the practice of MERCOSUR, the settlement contentious issues, constantly arising from its participants, is carried out without the Arbitration Court by reaching mutual compromises.

East African Community

The East African Community is an interstate organization that includes Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The community was created in 1967, and ceased operations in 1977. In 1993, the East African Community was replaced by the East African Cooperation, and in 1999 a new agreement was signed to establish the East African Community. Since 2000, the agreement has entered into force. The main goals of the organization are the harmonization of customs tariffs and customs regimes of the participating countries, the creation of conditions for the free movement of labor resources and the improvement of infrastructure in the region.

Islands Forum Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Islands Forum is an intergovernmental institution whose main goal is to promote cooperation between the countries of the region and protect their interests. Forum participants: Australia, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Cook Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Fiji.

The Pacific Islands Forum was established in 1971 under the original name "South Pacific Forum", and the current name was given in 2000.

South American Community of Nations

In December 2004, in the Peruvian city of Cusco (Cuzco), representatives of 12 countries of South America signed a declaration on the creation of a political and socio-economic bloc, the South American Community of Nations. According to the agreements, the territory of the countries of the community will be united by a common market with common rules, in accordance with which trade with the rest of the world will be conducted. In addition, the citizens of the new union in the future will have a single passport, currency, parliament and court.

The "Declaration of Cuzco" states that the heads of state of the community will meet annually to make decisions on the problems of the region. The current issues of the formation of the USN will be decided by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

The community was created on the basis of the two main trading associations of the region - the Andean Community, which includes Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela, and the South American Common Market (Mercosur), which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. In addition to these countries, the USN included Chile, Suriname and Guyana.

The USN will become one of the world's largest integration associations with a population of about 360 million people and a total GDP of over $973 billion. The territory covered by the union is 45 percent of the entire American continent.

The leaders of the bloc states that they were guided by the experience of the European Union when creating it. Moreover, they hope that the South American community of nations will eventually compete with the United States and the European Union.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established on December 8, 1985. The members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation include: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Afghanistan was last admitted to SAARC in November 2005. Observer countries in SAARC are Japan, China, South Korea, the United States and the European Union.

The main goal of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is to accelerate the process of economic and social development in member states through collective action in areas of cooperation. Such areas of cooperation are as follows:

agriculture and rural support;

science and technology;

culture;

health care and birth control;

countering the drug trade and anti-terrorism.

The primary purpose of the Association was "to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and improve their quality of life, and to promote active cooperation and mutual assistance in economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields (fields)".

Ultimately, the Association will become a counterbalance to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union. In January 2004, the SAARC participants signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the South Asian Free Trade Zone. The free trade agreement requires the countries of South Asia to start reducing customs duties, eliminate customs barriers and create a South Asian free trade zone from 2006.

The problem with Western Europe is not only that its stock markets are much smaller than America's, but that they remain largely national. Currently, there are 8 stock exchanges in the US, and two of them - NYSE and NASDAQ occupy 95% of the market. There are 32 national stock exchanges in the European Union, and the possibility of their merging into 2-3 large exchanges is not even visible yet.

Another disintegrating factor is tax legislation, which is national now and will be so in the foreseeable future. Taxes are one of the few instruments of macroeconomic regulation that remained in the hands of the national authorities after the creation of the EMU, with their help, states can adapt the general economic and monetary policy to the current situation in the country.

Of the eight economic conditions that economists believe are necessary for the success of the euro in foreign markets, the EMU countries fully meet five: they have a significant economy; their economy is fairly open; it is well integrated into the world; low inflation rates have been observed over the past few years; the current account balance is close to deficit-free. Two more criteria are met quite satisfactorily: the economies of the EMU countries are relatively resistant to external influences and have a good growth potential.

The weakest point of the euro area is the financial markets: in terms of their development, depth, breadth and liquidity, they are significantly inferior to the American ones. In other words, the EMU countries do not fulfill one of the three fundamental conditions necessary for the euro to be able to compete on equal terms with the dollar in the world.

However, the ability of the euro to displace the dollar as an international currency largely depends on whether the EU manages to enlist support most third countries.

Prospects for the admission of CEE countries to the EMU. As a result of the expected expansion of the European Monetary Union from 12 to 22 member countries, not only Western, but also Central Europe, the Baltic States, part of of Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Economically, this creates the world's largest single market with an area of ​​almost 5 million square meters. km with a population of more than 500 million people and GDP - about 7 trillion. dollars.

However, it is impossible not to take into account the fact that we are talking about a fundamentally new option for countries to join the EMU in comparison with all the previous ones. The expansion of the EMU is due to the accession of countries that have not previously developed on the basis of the Western European socio-economic model and did not belong to the Western European security system. We are talking about states that are making an unprecedented transition in history from a state command-administrative economy to a market economy, from authoritarianism to parliamentary democracy and the rule of law. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have specific features that have a fundamental impact on both the nature and consequences of EU enlargement.

Strengthening stability and predictability on the eastern border as a result of the enlargement of the European Union and the Eurozone is in his interests. This position is not subject to doubt and in fact is universally recognized. Expanding to the East, the European Monetary Union noticeably increases its resource potential: the territory increases by 34%, the population - by 29%. The EBU is developing into one of the largest markets in the world.

Despite all of the above, there is no clear answer to the question whether the implementation of the Eastward Enlargement project as a whole is a “chance” or a threat to the European Union and the European Monetary Union. After all, the accession of new members significantly complicates the functioning of the union. The institutional structure, created more than 50 years ago, when the community included only six states, functioned with great tension already in the EU-12 and EU-15 systems. The admission of new 10-12 members in the conditions of the unreformed organization, especially with regard to admission to the EBU, can simply paralyze its work.

An analysis of the sources of the EU budget and the main directions of its use indicates that a radical reform of the budgetary, regional and agricultural policies should have been completed even before the start of expansion to the east. However, without changing the current management procedures, the European Union, in essence, drove itself into an institutional trap, when the economic potential of countries, and hence their role in budgeting, become completely unrelated to their ability to influence decisions made in the organization.

Also, one of the most difficult tasks at the accession stage is the adaptation of agriculture in the CEE countries to European standards. Realizing this, the new member states, no doubt, hoped to receive significant financial resources from the EU. However, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union is already absorbing 50% of its budget today. The EU agricultural support system has long been recognized as inefficient and leading to significant overproduction within the Union, when a significant part of the products can only be sold on foreign markets at prices. significantly below cost. The directions of necessary changes are obvious, in particular, a significant reduction in direct subsidies to commodity producers. However, attempts to reform the CAP during 2000-2002. turned out to be unsuccessful due to the tough position of a number of countries, primarily France. As a result, the prevailing view was that there could be no reforms prior to decisions or agreements between the EU and the WTO on agricultural regulation. Thus, the future model of agricultural support within the EU remains uncertain.

The accession to the EU of new members from Central and Eastern Europe called into question the possibility of carrying out a policy of solidarity in the volume and forms in which it was carried out in the EU in the 1990s. And this is one of the cornerstones of all politics European integration. Its instruments are the so-called structural funds and the cohesion fund, which are formed by rigidly assigning to them a certain percentage of the EU budget (1.27% of the total GDP of the member countries).

Structural funds include:

the Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, which is inextricably linked to the EU Common Agricultural Policy;

the Social Fund, which finances the retraining of workers, especially in regions and sectors with high unemployment, as well as vocational training for young people;

Regional Development Fund, focused on assisting areas that are lagging behind in their development or hit by a structural crisis in industry;

Fund for the Promotion of Economic Cohesion of Member States (Cohesion Fund), created in accordance with the Maastricht Treaty and entirely focused on the development of the four countries with the lowest production indicators gross product per capita - Greece. Ireland. Spain and Portugal.

In the 1990s, structural funds provided support to beneficiary districts with a population of 178 million people, i.e. more than half of EU citizens. It is obvious that the new member countries alone are not able to overcome their lagging behind the EU countries in the foreseeable future, neither in development, nor in the maturity of markets, nor in the structure of the economy. And this means that the European Union will have to deal with client-type states for a long time to come, actively claiming regular redistribution of EU resources in their favor. The number of those who, according to modern EU standards, can qualify for assistance from its budget, after the enlargement of the Union, increased from 185 million to 291 million people.

The accession to the Union of CEE countries automatically significantly lowered the indicator of total GDP per capita, therefore, a number of areas - the current recipients of assistance lost the status of the poorest, as their indicator exceeded 75% of the EU average. All entrants automatically added to the number of recipient countries due to their backwardness. Such an increase in the heterogeneity of the EU space is a challenge to the gains of the Union and, above all, a challenge to its socio-economic cohesion, since the implementation of a full-fledged admission of new members infringed on the interests of both the main recipient countries of structural funds and the main payers to the EU community budget.

In developing the so-called “rapprochement” program and, in accordance with it, a strategy for financing the new EU member states, the European Commission tried, at least in part, to take into account the main features of the states joining the European Union and to direct, through the organization of targeted assistance, the CEE states along the path “ right" economic development. This program The EU is constantly being revised taking into account the peculiarities of the economic development of a particular state and is aimed at ensuring the accession of new 10 members of the union to the Eurozone in the period from 2007 to 2010.

In accordance with the adopted for 2000-2006. about 39.6 billion euros will be allocated from the EU budget to the new member states from Central and Eastern Europe.

Hosted on Allbest.ru

Similar Documents

Goals and objectives of the Common Market of the Southern Cone (MERCOSUR) - one of the most successful integration projects in South America that determines the dynamics of the regional system of international relations. Stages of strengthening the political unity of the MERCOSUR countries.

article, added 09/27/2012


Economic diplomacy as a phenomenon of international life, its specificity, types, tasks, goals and functions. Members of the largest international regional trade blocs. Directions of economic diplomacy Russian Federation in the context of globalization.

abstract, added 12/01/2013


Description of the history of creation, development, organizational structure, tasks and functions of the MERCOSUR association - a sub-regional trade and economic union, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay (associate members are Bolivia and Chile).

abstract, added 05/24/2010


Organizational structure of a regional integration association. European Union. MERCOSUR. EurAsEC. Separation of functions of bodies of international organizations. The integrity of the regional integration association.

abstract, added 09/18/2006


Peculiarities and directions of implementation of the Treaty on the phased creation of the African Economic Community (AFEC), the agreement on which entered into force in May 1994. The structure of the economic community of West African countries, its participants and purpose.

presentation, added 01/24/2012


The main stages of the formation and development of the world economy, international economic relations. Creation and functioning of the global market for goods, the global infrastructure of world economic relations. Formation of regional economic blocs.

term paper, added 11/11/2014


Essence and structure of the regional market of international services. Place of Belarus in international trade services. Organizational and economic characteristics of the Gomel region, analysis of the state and dynamics of the regional market for international services.

term paper, added 04/06/2014


Analysis of the activities of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Development prospects, goals, objectives and members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Economic Community, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Customs Union.

abstract, added 05/08/2010


The Place of Egyptian-Chinese Diplomatic Relations in the Sino-Arab Dialogue. Directions of political, trade, economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries. Egyptian mediation in the sphere of Sino-African cooperation.

abstract, added 03/22/2011


Theoretical aspects of the creation of regional integration economic associations. The current state and prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and regional financial and economic organizations. New impulses for regional cooperation.

The success of the development of economic integration in Western Europe has attracted attention in the developing regions of the world. In Latin America, Africa and Asia, several dozen free trade zones, customs or economic unions have emerged. The North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) One of the most noticeable developing integration processes was the process of organization and functioning of the North American Free Trade Area - NAFTA. The existing economic integration of the USA with Canada and their cooperation with Western European partners ceased to satisfy the USA. As a result, the integration processes in North America went beyond the boundaries of the two states. An agreement was concluded on the North American Free Trade Area, which entered into force on January 1, 1994, according to which NAFTA, in addition to the United States and Canada, included Mexico. The territory of the bloc is a vast territory with a population of 370 million people and a strong economic potential. The annual production of goods and services by these countries is 7 trillion. dollars. They account for about 20% of the total volume of world trade. Key provisions of the agreement include:

Cancellation of customs duties on goods traded between the US, Canada, Mexico; - protecting the North American market from the expansion of Asian and European companies trying to avoid US duties by re-exporting their goods to the US through Mexico; - removal of the ban on investment and competition of American and Canadian companies in the banking and insurance business in Mexico; - Creation of tripartite groups to solve problems related to environmental protection.

South American Common Market - MERCOSUR Integration processes are also intensifying in South America. At one time (early 60s) it was planned to create a "free trade zone" here, and then the formation of the Central American Common Market - CAOR. However, the political and economic crisis prevented the implementation of these plans. By the mid-1990s, integration processes were intensified through the conclusion in 1991 of the MERCOSUR trade pact between Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. Over the years of its existence, the common market of the countries of the Southern Cone - MERCOSUR has become one of the most dynamic integration groups in the world. Already in 1998, almost 95% of the volume of trade between the four members of the association is not subject to duties, and the remaining tariffs will be abolished by the beginning of the 21st century.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation - APEC At the end of the 20th century, integration processes in East Asia are gaining momentum. The most successful for almost 30 years has been the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes one of the four Asian "dragons" Singapore, as well as the "new wave" NIS - Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines. The success of mutual cooperation within this grouping is closely related to the rapid economic growth of most ASEAN member countries, the comparability of their levels of development, well-established mutual trade relations with long historical traditions, as well as a regulated form of cooperation. Until 2000, ASEAN plans to reduce the customs duties of the participating countries by an average of 5% for 38,000 items of goods. At the end of 1995, a decision was made to create a full-fledged free trade zone in 2003, and, if events develop favorably, in 2000. Prospects for the development of economic integration in East Asia are largely associated with the creation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an intergovernmental organization that brings together 21 countries in the region. APEC (English abbreviation ARES) was established in 1989 at the suggestion of Australia with the aim of developing economic cooperation in the Pacific Ocean. Initially, it included 12 countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the United States. In subsequent years, they were joined by China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico, Chile, Papua New Guinea, and in 1998, Vietnam, Peru and Russia. APEC formally has a consultative status, but within the framework of its working bodies, regional rules for conducting trade, investment and financial activities are determined, meetings of sectoral ministers and experts on cooperation in various areas are held.

Modern world economy in the form of unions and groups.

Their collision.

European Economic Area(EEA, eng. European Economic Area, EEA) - established on January 1, 1994 to enable non-member countriesEuropean Union, join the European Common Market.

Between the countries of the European Economic Area, requirements are established to ensure the following "freedoms":

• free trade in goods
• free trade in services
• free movement of labor resources,
• free movement of capital.

The countries where the euro is used as a currency are more integrated. There is no point in going into details, since there are no clear boundaries between the economic union - in addition to the participating countries, there are also candidate countries, "partially" accepted, observers. In particular, practically inside the EEA there are still remnants of the predecessor union -European Association free trade(EFTA), now consisting only of Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) is a free trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico based on the model of the European Community (European Union).

The main goal of NAFTA is to remove barriers to trade and investment between the US, Canada and Mexico. While the European Union is based on the concept of federal politics with the distribution of power between its bodies - the Council, Commission, Parliament and the Court of Justice, on the one hand, and member states on the other, NAFTA builds integration on the basis of confederal ties between independent sovereign states. Trade interaction in each of these states is supported by autonomous decision-making bodies within the framework established by NAFTA. NAFTA Goals:

- elimination of customs and passport barriers and stimulation of the movement of goods and services between the countries participating in the agreement;

– creation and maintenance of conditions for fair competition in the free trade zone;

— attraction of investments to the countries-members of the agreement;

— ensuring proper and effective protection and protection of intellectual property rights;

– creation of effective mechanisms for the implementation and use of the Agreement, joint resolution of disputes and management;

— creation of a base for future trilateral, regional and international cooperation in order to expand and improve the Agreement;

— Creation of a single continental market.

Customs Union of the EAEU - a form of trade and economic integration of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (the last three countries entered in 2015) providingi single customs territory,within which customs duties and restrictions of an economic nature are not applied in mutual trade in goods, with the exception of special protective, anti-dumping and countervailing measures. At the same time, the member countries of the Customs Union apply uniform customs tariffs and other regulatory measures when trading with third countries.

The predecessor of the EAEU Customs Union was and still is a larger union:CIS Free Trade Zone (FTA) , which in turn is rooted in former USSR(excluding Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia).

Free trade Area. Dark blue indicates the countries of the Customs Union of the EAEU.

And even earlier there were such phenomena as the socialist camp and the Warsaw Pact Organization.

It included, in addition to the 15 republics of the former USSR, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, the GDR (East Germany), Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) and for some time Albania. At the same time there was a larger association: Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. Almost all countries participating in the Warsaw Pact, after the defeat of "Moscow" in the Cold War, joined the EU (EEA) and NATO, and the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) also went there.

And here it would be very appropriate to give a description of the historical collisiontwo major economies.The European Economic Union, like the capitalist camp as a whole, grew at the end of the last and the beginning of the current century, advancing on the socialist camp of the countries of Europe!First on the Warsaw Treaty Organization, and then on the economic space of the former USSR.And it was simply necessary for the Capitalist Camp and the European Union! The theoretical reasons for this need were quite specific and they are described in the articles: "the basic scheme of the economic crisis" and schemes for building economic unions. Let me remind you that the capitalist system of the economy based on loan interest, in order to preserve its own well-being (in addition to regular With lower interest rates on loans) necessary: expand markets And reduce production costs. The latter means that morelearn new resources And deepen the division of labor. In other words: "capitalist"economic unionsit was necessary to expand at the expense of the socialist camp, because their borders touched.

Eastward expansion of the European Union.

The result is the following: In the USSR, after the collapse, production ties were disrupted, both within the former Soviet Union and partly throughout the entire socialist camp. After the opening of the borders and the "raising of the Iron Curtain", Soviet goods (and, to some extent, products produced by the socialist camp) were forced out by imports from countries of other economic systems: North American, European, and also from Asian countries. That is, countries of the former USSR served market expansion for the rest of the world!The GDR actually became part of the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany), Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and others moved to the economic system of the EEA (EU) (i.e. there was deepening division of labor And expansion of sales markets for the "capitalist world", especially for the European Union).

An approximate map of the confrontation between the two united economic systems:

capitalist (blue) and socialist (red).

Russia, as a loser in the Cold War, was included in the European Economic Area as a supplier of oil and gas, i.e.became a supplier of resources to support production in Europe. Oil and gas in Western Europe The USSR began to supply even under Brezhnev, but under Gorbachev and beyond, these deliveries became even larger ( development of new resources for the EU).The teams of Gorbachev and Yeltsin, meanwhile, took out a large number of loans for "their development" on the advice of Western experts, i.e. Russia thus helped Western bankers earn money. For purely economic reasons, the fall of the USSR became for the "West" a reason for economic recovery and a significant postponement of the coming economic crisis (). The words below Zbivniew Brzezinski(American ideologue of US foreign policy) have not only a military-hostile meaning, but also quite practical economic application:

The reasons for the collapse of the USSR and the collapse of socialism in Europe are worthy of separate consideration. And we will return to the present ... Let me remind you that an economic union with a center in Moscow (Customs Union) is being created again, but more like an economic one, and not a military-political one either.

BRICS(English) BRICS- short forB razil, R ussia, I ndia, C hina, South Africa) - a group of five countries : Brazil , Russia , India , China , Republic of South Africa.

Initially, the union was planned more as a geopolitical, new "center of power" to oppose the IMF, the US, the EU and NATO, but what is geopolitics without economics? However, so far the economic integration of countries within the union is low,in 2012, the volume of trade between the BRICS countries was just over 10% of the total trade volume of the union members.

Shanghai Organization cooperation- an international organization founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and on July 10, 2015, India and Pakistan joined the SCO (these are indicated in dark green, the rest are observers and partners).

os The new goals and objectives of the SCO are:

• development of multidisciplinary cooperation in order to maintain and strengthen peace, security and stability in the region, to promote the construction of a new democratic, fair and rational political and economic international order;
• joint counteraction to terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations, combating drug and arms trafficking, other types of transnational criminal activity, as well as illegal migration;
• encouragement of effective regional cooperation in political, trade and economic, defense, law enforcement, environmental protection, cultural, scientific and technical, educational, energy, transport, credit and financial and other areas of common interest;
• promotion of comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions based on equal partnership in order to steadily raise the level and improve the living conditions of the peoples of the Member States;
• coordination of approaches to integration into the world economy;
• promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the international obligations of the Member States and their national legislation;
• maintenance and development of relations with other states and international organizations;

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

Asia-Pacific economic cooperation (APEC) (English) Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC ) is a forum of 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific region for cooperation in the field of regional trade and the facilitation and liberalization of capital investment. The goal of APEC is to increase economic growth and prosperity in the region and to strengthen the Asia-Pacific community.

As a strategic goal, the creation of 2020 in the Asia-Pacific Region (Asia-Pacific Region) systems of free and open trade and a liberal investment regime. The most developed economies must implement liberalization by 2010. However, customs barriers remain significant and negotiations continue.

There are also such economic unions as the Latin American Integration Association (LAI), which includes 12 states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador. Headquarters Montevideo (Uruguay). And closer (with uniform customs tariffs) Mercosur (Mercosur):

And there are also various African unions, such as the Economic Community of Central African Countries (ECOCAS). In general, in addition to interaction within the union, countries can almost always trade with the rest of the world. Also, the same country can be part of different economic unions. In addition, the degree of integration of each union is different, in some of them there are simply lowered customs barriers, and full and free trade, like the single currency of the union, is only discussed in the distant future. At first glance, due to the abundance and diversity of Economic Unions, it is very difficult to understand modern politics... Like, it is necessary to study the details of agreements, study complex economic statistics, and so on. But it is not so!

Firstly, only really large associations influence the world situation.

Secondly, it is possible to separate really large and highly integrated unions from organizations that have just been born, or do not have clear agreements and prospects. Here are the main criteria for evaluating economic unions, they also show the degree of globalization:

1) The level of customs barriers within the organization.

2) The presence of a common monetary unit or the degree of willingness to create it.

1) Customs barriers are low or non-existent in unions such as NAFTA, EAZ and EAEU (Customs Union).

2) Common currency. At the moment there is only in the EAZ (euro €), but in general, both in the past and in the nearest possible plans, various options were discussed (and are being discussed):

Transferable ruble as a means of payment within the CMEA, 1963-1990.

Amero. The project never sold the currency within the NAFTA union.

The currency of the EAEU (CU) is being discussed, the use of the ruble was previously discussed, but the negotiations reached an impasse.

As new members join, any economic union becomes more self-sufficient, this is in its interests. But complete self-sufficiency in modern economy can only be in "isolated" countries, i.e. such as North Korea Or no developed countries African living subsistence farming. The NAFTA union is potentially self-sufficient, the Latin American Integration Association (LAI) has a chance, since they have both resource extraction (mainly oil!) and production. The EEZ and the EAEU work in pairs, since there are few raw materials in Europe (the Russian Federation supplies, partly Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan), and the EAEU does not have all production, there are technical dependences on the countries of the European Union. China is a relatively independent force as a very large developing economy, but it is a global manufacturer, it needs a large sales market and a supplier of raw materials. To build a scheme of interaction between leading countries and economic unions, data on the total trade turnover are needed. I did not find visual aggregate data of world trade on the Internet, but it is possible to piece together the largest trading partnerships from data for each country / economic union separately. Clicking on the turnover figures will take you to the source of the data. The reasons are described in the economic crisis chart. If everyone has enough opportunities for development, if the lowering of interest rates on loans has not yet exhausted itself, if all major economic unions have room to expand without affecting each other's interests, then it is easier to overcome conflicts by reaching an agreement and not wasting efforts on an arms race. But what if we expand again (as in the case of the confrontation between the capitalist, western camp and the socialist, eastern) described above? What if the planet ended? The answer is simple - the duel begins for the spheres of political, economic and military influence, the struggle for oil, other raw materials ... And the enticing of countries for cooperation from competing economic unions! This is where the intrigue kicks in.

Economic Union ( economicunion) – type of international integration,providing, along with the common customs tariff and freedom of movement of goods and factors of production, the coordination of macroeconomic policy and the unification of legislation in key areas - foreign exchange, budgetary, monetary.This is the highest level of economic integration . At this stage in the development of integration, there is a need for bodies endowed not only with the ability to coordinate actions and monitor the economic development of the participating countries, but also to make operational decisions on behalf of the group as a whole. Governments consensually concede a part of the state sovereignty in favor of interstate bodies with the function of supranational regulation. Such interstate bodies are empowered to make decisions on matters relating to the organization without the consent of the governments of the member countries.

Examples of economic unions:

Economic Union - Benelux – exists since 1948, unites Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg;

Arab Maghreb Union – formed in 1989. Participating countries: Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia;

Lagos Action Plan -established in 1973, unites all countries of Africa south of the Sahara;

Manu River Union– an agreement on the creation of the union was signed in 1973 by Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone

European Union, EU (since 1957, - European Economic Community, EEC) - the most developed economic bloc peace. The founding countries of the system of European economic communities are France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg. Since 1973 Great Britain, Denmark and Ireland have joined them. In the late 70s and in the 80s, Greece, Spain and Portugal also became members of the European Community, as the whole association as a whole then began to be called, and in the 90s, Austria, Finland and Sweden. Thus, at the moment, the European Union, transformed from the European Community on the basis of the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, consists of 15 states. The next stage of EU enlargement is expected in May 2004. Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia are invited to join the EU. Thus, the European Union will unite 25 countries.

The EU governance system includes a number of institutional bodies. The European Parliament is the common legislative and representative body of the EU. Together with the European Council (the highest executive body of the EU), the European Parliament decides on the internal market, the EU budget, the admission of new members, etc. The European Council meets as part of the heads of state and government of the participating countries at least twice a year. Here, fundamental decisions are made regarding the main directions of the economic policy of the member states. The Council of the EU (Council of Ministers) is the body that makes the main decisions on current policy issues. The Commission of the European Community is the central institutional structure, which in the system of EU bodies has both the exclusive right of legislative initiative, and certain executive powers, and the function of political control over the observance of fundamental treaties by other participants in the decision-making process in the European Union. The Court of Justice monitors compliance with EU law on the territory of the Member States, monitors the uniformity of application of legal instruments, determines the conformity with the law of Commission and Council legal acts and decides on questions of the application of EU law, if such questions are referred to it for consideration by national courts. Its rulings are final and binding on national authorities.

Send to a friend

XX

The formation of economic unions becomes an important factor in international relations in the second half XX century. The success of the European Communities stimulates the creation of associations of states located in close proximity to each other in other parts of the world. As a rule, the goals of such groups are: the intensification of mutual trade and financial flows, the creation of a zone of peace in the region, the joint solution of specific regional problems, collective protection from stronger neighbors and the representation of the interests of the group in international organizations.

The ultimate goal of economic unions is to merge the economic structures of the participating countries into a single economic complex with a regional division of labor, with relatively high level development of productive forces and a sufficient degree of intensity of mutual ties.

In developed countries, economic integration began with the liberalization of mutual trade and only then affected the sphere of production. On the contrary, in developing countries, integration processes first spread to the sphere of production and then to the sphere of mutual trade. The following reasons can serve as an explanation: (1) the creation of an optimal structure for the economies of the integrating countries is hindered not so much by artificial restrictions in the form of customs-tariff and non-tariff restrictions, as by natural barriers - the low level of economic development of the participating countries, a weak degree of economic complementarity, which can only be eliminated by intensifying industrial cooperation; (2) industrial cooperation requires a lot of coordination and efforts of a number of countries, which is easier to do within a grouping, i.e. on a collaborative rather than individual basis.

In the 60-80s. the economic difficulties of developing countries forced them to be guided not by long-term, but by short-term interests and to consider integration as a tool to increase levels of economic development and promote industrialization. Therefore, priority within the framework of the created economic unions was given to industrial cooperation, and not to the liberalization of mutual trade (for which there were no objective conditions, and subjective reasons also prevented). The specificity of the existing economic and political prerequisites for integration processes in developing countries has led to the formation of different types of associations. In the sphere of mutual trade, free trade zones were created. Given the narrow scope of coverage of goods and the low level of mutual trade liberalization, a special term appeared, first introduced by the famous economist R. Langhammer. This is a preferential trade area (PTA).

Moreover, during the period under review, preferential trade zones were mainly formed in developing countries. Integration measures in this area have yielded the greatest results, since the efforts of the participating countries have been focused on trade liberalization, in addition, it is much easier to agree on the convergence of markets.

In the 1970s, two to five applications for the creation of trade blocs were submitted to the WTO annually. At the end of the 1990s, this number increased to 15. However, in most cases, the associations created set themselves narrow practical tasks and did not have a broad, long-term program of action. Many of them consisted of two or three countries, and some existed literally from the very beginning on paper. A large number of regional associations have been created in Africa and in Latin America. However, due to low level economic development, insufficient experience in conducting international affairs and political differences, they contributed very little to the socio-economic progress of the member states.

In the groupings, a partial liberalization of mutual trade was carried out, while maintaining a large number exemptions for sensitive goods, i.e. preferential trade zones. Trade liberalization contributed to the intensification of mutual trade and the increase in its share in the total trade turnover. At the same time, growth dynamics was observed in the first five to seven years after the creation of economic associations, when the abolition or reduction of duties stimulated the growth of trade. But in the future, the influence of the liberalization factor was exhausted, since at subsequent stages it is necessary to have objective economic prerequisites for the implementation of integration measures. These include the degree of complementarity of the export structures of the participating countries, the level of economic development of the countries, etc.

Currently, the most significant regional groupings are: European Union, North American Free Trade Association, Association of Countries South-East Asia, Commonwealth independent states, the Common Market of the Southern Cone and the Economic Community of West African States. These groups account for about 60% of world GDP and about 40% of the world's population. The number of full members in the considered associations varies from 3 to 27. Each of them includes countries with general population from 230 to 570 million people. Strong differences between the groupings are observed in terms of the level of well-being and the degree of income polarization.

The share of mutual trade in the total foreign trade of the member states, which indicates the degree of integration of the common internal market, is also different. In the EU it reaches 60%. This means that, on average, each of the participating countries sends to and receives from partner countries 60% of exports and imports, and only 40% of the value of their foreign trade is associated with third countries. There is no such situation in any other regional grouping of the world. In NAFTA, despite the high orientation of the economies of Canada and Mexico to the United States, determined by the geographical factor, the same figure is 45%. In ASEAN, the CIS and MERCOSUR, the growth of mutual trade is hampered by the insufficient development of industrial potential and a similar structure of exports of the participating states. There, the indicated share is approximately 20%. The lowest indicator is typical for the regional association of African countries - ECOWAS.

Period 1990–2010s characterized by the activation of integration projects in developing countries. Although many of them are at the pre-integration level. Examples of the most successful integration associations in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America and Africa are discussed in the following sections.