Globalization, regional integration and the EU

Abstract

The following chapter will analyze globalization and regional integration as an inter-dependant process of a challenge and its response. Based on this, the analysis will discuss the EU’s role in this process. The high attraction of the EU on other world regions requires a closer look on European integration. Could or is the EU a possible global paradigm for regional integration? Doubts are justified on the assumption that the European model as a whole could be imitated by other regions to automatically achieve the same effects (Murray 2004; Kühnhardt 2004). Nevertheless, singular features of European integration may motivate other regions to follow a similar track. The creation of a common market may be one. These reflections allow a few concluding thoughts that will plead for a broader view on globalization, regional integration and the EU.