SPACE ASYMMETRIES OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

Abstract

The objective preconditions of regionalization in the global space are considered in the article. The consequences and challenges of regional economic integration processes for the countries are revealed. The importance of coordinating the objectives of regional economic integration and national economic policy is substantiated. The role of integration in the liberalization of trade through the reduction of tariff barriers is argued. The regional asymmetries of global economic development are outlined. The state of development of regional trade agreements in the last decades is analysed. This analysis has made it possible to determine the difficulties of functioning of integration associations in modern conditions and to substantiate that each region has its own peculiarities, as shown by the example of the European Union, the member countries of NAFTA, integration in the countries of Latin America . The index of regional integration in Africa has been estimated. It allowed revealing significant differences among the groups of countries. The peculiarities of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the conditions of cooperation of the countries have been clarified.