This paper will present a comparative analysis of the EU’s interregional strategy in Asia, Latin America and Africa, and evaluate the extent to which this has functioned as a channel for exporting regional integration. The paper will focus on how successful the overt export of regional integration, and the associated processes of dialogue and negotiation in interregional relations, have been in encouraging and embedding regional integration in EU partner regions around the world. The EU has long-established inter-regional, transregional and bilateral relations with Asia (notably with ASEAN), Latin America (Mercosur, Central American Common Market and the Andean Community) and Africa (EPA regions) based on a common strategic and institutional approach. This amalgam of different levels of relations can be termed ‘complex inter-regionalism’, reflecting the coexistence of different levels of interaction in EU external relations as the EU constantly tries to adapt to the international and regional environment. Over time there has been a shifting balance between the different levels of relations, more recently away from the regional level towards the bilateral level of relations. The paper will evaluate how successful, and long-lasting, the EU export of regional integration through interregional relations has been and will assess whether the EU move towards increased bilateralism compromises previous support for regional integration efforts.
