Working Paper No. 255 Two Types of Regional Integration Processes: The FTAA and its comparison with the EU and MERCOSUR by Armando Di Filippo* September 2005 Stanford University John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Building 366 Galvez Street | Stanford, CA | 94305-6015 * Tinker Visiting Professor, Center for Latin American Studies, Bolivar House, Stanford, California TWO TYPES OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION PROCESSES (The FTAA and its comparison with the EU and MERCOSUR) ARMANDO DI FILIPPO1 California, February, 2005 1 Tinker Visiting Professor, Center for Latin American Studies, Bolivar House, Stanford, California.
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[email protected], www.difilippo.cl 1 ABSTRACT The Introduction tries to explain the reasons, beliefs, and prejudices of the author that led him to write this essay. The first section sets out the historical background and features of regional integration in Latin America between 1960 and 1990. The second section examines the one-dimensional, so called, Free Trade Agreements that have been signed (or are being negotiated) in the hemisphere. The third section describes Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) multidimensional schemes. The fourth examines the degree of compatibility between both types of agreements. The fifth, departing from USA and EU experiences, explains the decisive importance that the political dimensions of regionalism have acquired after the re- democratization process, and the sixth section discusses the economic benefits of multidimensional integration. Keywords: Latin America, trade agreements JEL codes: F14, O24, O54 2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 2. ONE-DIMENSIONAL AGREEMENTS 3. MULTI-DIMENSIONAL AGREEMENTS 4. COMPATIBILITY 5. POLITICAL DIMENSIONS 6. ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL INTEGRATION 7. CONCLUSIONS 8.