The document discusses four major regional organizations: 1) The European Union (EU) started as an economic cooperation between six European countries and has expanded to 27 members to promote economic and political integration. 2) The African Union (AU) was formed to promote unity and cooperation among its 55 member states and succeeded the Organization of African Unity. 3) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967 to promote stability in Southeast Asia among its 10 members following decolonization. 4) The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) works for development among its 8 member countries in South Asia.

1. PS-III (BLLB-406) Unit-IV (C)
FUNCTIONAL SCOPE OF REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS
EU, AU, SAARC and ASEAN

2. INTRODUCTION
 One of the most outstanding developments after the end of World
War-II in 1945 was the emergence of regional organisations in different
parts of the world, both developed and underdeveloped.
 There was a realisation among the leadership of the countries that
problems confronting humanity can be solvable effectively through
international and regional cooperation.
 Further, in the light of the spreading globalization, states have realized
that in the present circumstances it is not a rationale option to stay in
isolation and that they need to work together and integrate into a
network that would bring mutual benefits and also lessen the chances
of wars in the upcoming time.

3.  A region can be defined as a limited area with sovereign states having a
common interest in that area.
 Regionalism is a process through an agreement of a number of states
coming together for the achievement of their common socio-economic
developmental interests and to maintain peace and security in their
respective regions.
 Common geographical characteristics and neighbourhood play an important
foundation of any regional agreement for establishing an organisation.
 The roots of regionalism lay in the perception of the national policy-makers
that there are certain common interests shared by the states located in a
particular region and that these interests could be “most efficiently and
effectively promoted by the close and continuing cooperation within a
regional framework.”
 The UN has promoted the idea of regionalism by establishing various socio-
economic commissions, extending cooperation to various regional groups
and recognising regional organisations of social, economic, cultural,
political, and educational nature.

4.  Regional organizations are formed to promote human rights and
democracy, to provide security and safeguard territorial integrity of
member countries, and to secure economic alliance through trade and
economic cooperation for rapid development.
 In addition, some regional organisations are established for more general
reasons, such as to preserve cultural heritage (e.g., the Arab League and
Organisation of Islamic Co-operation) or to address environmental issues
(e.g., the Arctic Council is organized around environmental protection of
the Artic region).
 Regional organistaions based on economic, cultural, and environmental
factors often conform to regional contiguity/proximity, but many of the
regional organisations based on security factors have member countries
that do not share borders with other member countries; that is, they are
geographically noncontiguous. In addition, some regional groups based
on geography may exclude nations for various reasons.

5.  Now a days, regional organisations are increasingly facing new
challenges, such as environmental issues, climate change, terrorism,
violence by non-state actors, energy security, prevention of
proliferation of weapons of mass destructions, crime, and drug
trafficking, etc.,
 In this context, the creation of regional organization intersects with
the understanding of the states that since they are geographically
closer to each other, thereby they have shared problems and due to
this similarity of context the problems can be better dealt together
by forming an organization and proper framework rather than
working alone by themselves.

6. EUROPEAN UNION (EU)
 The EU is a geo-political entity covering a large portion of the European
continent. It comprising 27 European countries and governing common
economic, social, and security policies.
 After the second world war, which had devastated the European
countries, they expressed their desire to move towards the path of
integration to foster economic cooperation and to avoid conflict.
 Originally confined to western Europe, the EU undertook a robust
expansion into central and eastern Europe in the early 21st century.
The EU is founded upon numerous treaties and has undergone
expansions from the original, six member-states to 28.

7.  The origins of EU can be traced back to the year 1952 when six
countries namely Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany,
Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands decided to create the
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) by pooling their coal
and steel resources in a market controlled by an independent
supranational authority.
 The treaties of Rome in 1957 established a European common
market with eventual free movement of goods, persons, services
and capital among its member countries.
 In 1973, the UK, Ireland and Denmark joined the European
Community. Its membership later increased from 9 to 15 with the
joining of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Finland and Sweden.

8.  Finally the EU came into existence on 1st November 1993, through the Maastricht
Treaty (Netherlands). EU was formerly known as the European Community (EC) or
the European Economic Community (EEC).
 EU was created to foster better economic, political and social cooperation among
the member countries.
 During the last decade, the EU emerged as the world’s major trading block and as
an economic power.
 It is gradually moving towards greater European integration. Through these
enlargements, the EU regarded as a success in the arena of regional groupings.
 The EU reached its size of 28 member countries with the accession of Croatia on
1st July 2013 but due to the exit of UK through the process of Brexit in 2020 its
membership remain as 27 today.
 The present EU members are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the
Cezech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Ireland, Italy, Lativa, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

9. MAJOR INSTITUTIONS & BODIES OF EU
 European Council, comprising heads of states.
 Council of the European Union, comprising ministers of the member
states.
 European Commission, the executive body of the European Union.
 Court of Justice of the EU.
 European Parliament.
 European Central Bank.
 European Economic and Social Committee.
 European Committee of the Regions
 European External Action Service
 European Ombudsman

10. GOALS/OBJECTIVES OF THE EU
Establishing European citizenship (fundamental rights, freedom of
movement, civil and political rights).
Ensuring freedom, security and justice (cooperation in the field of
justice and home affairs).
Promoting economic and social progress (single market, the
common currency, job creation, regional development,
environmental protection).
Promoting scientific and technological progress and combating
social exclusion and discrimination.
Asserting Europe’s role in the world (common foreign and security
policy), common positions within international transactions.

11.  EU, which started its journey with the aim to neutralise competition
between European nations over its natural wealth and establish an
environment free of conflicts, has evolved as a strong regional
organisation.
 But recently, some states are feeling the pinch of discomfort with
the union on certain issues and Britain, a key actor, has decided to
opt-out of the organisation (through Brexit).
 The withdrawal of the UK from the EU is known as Brexit. The UK
was the founding member of the EU but it left the organization in
2020.
 The coming time will tell the integrity and future of the EU as well
as UK.

12. AFRICAN UNION (AU)
 The AU is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that
make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched
in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-
1999).
 The Organization of the African Union (OAU) was formed by the 32
independent African states on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa to resolve the
economic and political problems and to get rid of colonialism, serious
issues of food, health, education, internal peace and security and political
power for self-determination.
 Today all the African states are members of the African Union.
 In July 2002 at Durban, the heads of states and governments
disbanded/dissolved OAU and adopted African Union (AU) as a more
appropriate name of their organization.

13. THE MAIN AIMS OF THE AU
 To eradicate all forms of colonialism and apartheid from Africa.
 To promote unity and solidarity among African states.
 To protect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the
states.
 To coordinate and intensify their cooperation and efforts to achieve a
better life for the peoples of Africa.
 Accelerating the political and socio-economic integration of the continent.
 To promote international peace, security and stability as per the norms of
the UN.
 Promoting democratic principles and institutions, popular participation
and good governance.
 To cooperate with other states and organizations accordingly.

14. ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN)
 ASEAN is a regional organisation which was established to promote political and
social stability amid rising tensions among the Asia-Pacific’s post-colonial states.
 The motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community.”
 The members of ASEAN are Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar.
 For a long time, these countries were exploited by colonial powers, namely the
USA, France, Spain and Britain.
 The post-war era witnessed the emergence of nationalist forces and their
struggle for independence from the colonial powers.
 The worst and most inhuman fighting between the US forces and the Vietnamese
people marked the end of colonialism in this region.
 ASEAN was formed in August 1967 in Bangkok.
 The ASEAN provides a common platform to the countries of Southeast Asia to
discuss their regional issues, irrespective of different political systems, cultures,
social set-ups and internal issues and cooperates in political and economic
matters.

15. OBJECTIVES OF ASEAN
 To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural
development in the region through joint endeavours.
 To promote regional peace and stability through enduring respect
for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries in
the region and adherence to the principles of the UN Charter.
 To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters
of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical and
administrative spheres.
 To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and
research facilities in educational and technological fields
 To promote Southeast Asian Studies.

16.  To collaborate for greater utilization of their agriculture and
industries and expansion of trade.
 To create a single market and production base which is stable,
prosperous, highly competitive and economically integrated.
 To preserve Southeast Asia as a Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone and
free of all other weapons of mass destructions.
 To maintain close and beneficial cooperative relations with existing
international and regional organizations with similar aims and
purposes.
The ASEAN has not only survived but has successfully overcome
many upheavals which happened during the last five decades of its
existence.

17. The Malaysian-Philippines dispute over Sabah, US-Vietnam war, the
Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia, the territorial and jurisdictional
disputes over the South China Sea, the issue of Piracy, Terrorism,
drugs and human trafficking, concerns of border security in the
region, the financial crisis of 1997 and other differences have not
overshadowed the goal of regional integrity as the highest priority
of the ASEAN member states.
Their different interests have not affected collective consultations,
decisions and policies of development for regional development.
The mutual understanding among its members is the key to its unity
and diversity. The future prospects of the ASEAN are bright and
promising for their sustainable development and comprehensive
security.

18. SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGONAL COOPERATION (SAARC)
 The emergence of the ASEAN in 1967 was keenly observed by the political
leadership in South Asia, which gradually realized the significance of
regional arrangement for cooperation among themselves.
 Their strife to avoid the politics and the cold war between the two power
blocs and keeping away from the impacts of such groupings also
contributed towards regional institutionalization.
 The countries of SA, in spite of their shared norms, values, history and
culture, had their own issues of bilateral nature, which was needed to be
debated and discussed on a common platform.
 In this context, in the leadership of Zia-Ur-Rehman, the then President of
Bangladesh, the SAARC was formally established on 8 December 1985.

19. Principles of SAARC
 Cooperation within the framework of the SAARC shall be based on:
 Respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political
independence, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and mutual
benefit.
 Such cooperation shall not be a substitute for bilateral and multilateral cooperation
but shall complement them.
 Such cooperation shall not be inconsistent with bilateral and multilateral obligations.
Areas of Cooperation
 Human Resource Development and Tourism
 Agriculture and Rural Development
 Environment, Natural Disasters and Biotechnology
 Economic, Trade and Finance
 Social Affairs
 Information and Poverty Alleviation
 Energy, Transport, Science and Technology
 Education, Security and Culture and Others

20. The Objectives of the SAARC
 To promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of
life.
 To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the
region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize
their full potentials.
 To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South
Asia.
 To contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s
problems..
 To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social,
cultural, technical and scientific fields.
 To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries.
 To strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of
common interests; and
 To cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and
purposes.

21. The End