Economic integration

There are several stages in the process of economic integration, from a very loose association of countries in a preferential trade area, to complete economic integration, where the economies of member countries are completely integrated.

A regional trading bloc is a group of countries within a geographical region that protect themselves from imports from non-members in other geographical regions, and who look to trade more freely with each other. Regional trading blocs increasingly shape the pattern of world trade – a phenomenon often referred to as regionalism.Stages of integration