INTEGRATION GROUPS DEVELOPMENT PECULIARITIES

Abstract

Creation of trade and economic associations is characteristic for different continents, regardless of their level of economic development. However, integration processes of greatest development have reached in Europe and North America. Effective international economic integration is only for certain groups, while others are at an early stage.

Most countries are members of trade and economic associations. There is a steady increase in their numbers, namely, free trade areas and customs unions, with growth rates rather uneven. Much of the grouping has focused not only on the abolition of customs tariffs, but also - оn the promotion of foreign direct investment, the liberalization of policies about them, and others. These goals have led to a rapid increase in the establishment of trade and economic associations during the past decades.

The development of international economic integration has its peculiarities in separate periods and in certain regions of the world. Thus, integration intensified more actively in the 1990s between countries in Europe, Africa, America, and at the beginning of the twenty-first century - East Asia. As to the level of economic development between the countries that are integrated, if in the 50's and 60's of the twentieth century it was approximately the same, then in the 80's and 90's of the twentieth century the trend was  the opposite, and experience shows positive effects of it, such as NAFTA. An important feature in the early twenty-first century is the formation of free trade areas between existing groups, in particular between the EU and MERCOSUR. Research  shows that countries from different continents are favoring certain forms of international economic integration, in particular, the countries of Europe and Latin America - free trade areas, customs unions, and common markets. Different tools are used in groups to save the balance of interests, in particular, in the EU - regulatory laws, NAFTA - the presence of important leader, and others.

Most transition economies want  to enter into existing associations, such as the EU, although countries continue to integrate with each other. As for the first, this is evident from several waves of EU enlargement and an increase of other groups, although there are parallel disintegration processes. Depending on the territory, time of creation and functioning of integration trade and economic associations, they have certain features that need to be considered in order to determine both own strategy and the future state in the world.