The limits of interregionalism: The EU and North America

Abstract:

The EU has been pursuing interregionalism as a key element in its commercial policy. This strategy has been manifested in agreements with Mercosur, East Asia and the Southern Mediterranean, among others. In the case of North America, however, the EU has developed a series of bilateral relationships with Canada, Mexico and the United States - rather than a region-to-region link. This article focuses on the role of sectoral interests, economic security competition and identity formation to examine why the EU has not developed an interregional relationship with North America. The evidence suggests that, of these factors, economic security competition appears to be the strongest factor preventing the formalisation of an EU-North American link. Moreover, the article demonstrates the importance of internal dynamics within counterpart regions as a key element in the analysis of interregional accords.