ABSTRACT
The new regionalism can be defined as a multidimensional process of regional integration which includes economic, political, social and cultural aspects. The post-socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and well as most Latin American (LA) countries are undergoing a 'double transition', simultaneously consolidating democratic government while promoting economic competitiveness within a complex global environment. Regionalism represents a major institutional element of reform: a state-society paradigm that spatially integrates notions of economic dynamism, administrative efficiency, community-empowerment, civil society and responsive governance. New Regionalism is a governance paradigm, both in highly normative and in empirical terms. Michael Keating has stated regionalization can be understood in terms of a tangible political project: the construction of a regional development model. The regional integration of Central and Eastern Europe and Latin American countries in supranational governance frameworks is also of great significance. The National Regional Development Concept of Hungary, passed by the Hungarian Parliament, defined regions in accordance with European statistical nomenclature (NUTS).
