ABSTRACT
In today’s world, processes of supranational regional cooperation and integration are becoming ever more important. There is a growing understanding that the regional level, between the national and global ones, provides an adequate and sometimes optimal level of governance to address a variety of problems of cross-border nature. Monetary stability, trade, conflicts and security policies, environmental issues, migration flows, infectious diseases and energy generation and distribution are just a few of the relevant examples. Indeed, if regional arrangements may provide national states with more effective ways to address shared challenges, global institutions may also be made more effective when re-engineered and based on a regional dimension.
