The EU and the ASEAN Policies towards Regional Trade Agreements: Comparative Analysis

Regional trade agreements today are a key instrument for the implementation of economic interaction between countries. Studying the experience of concluding and the approaches of the largest countries and associations to participation in regional trade agreements is an important element for building a successful foreign economic strategy. This study examines, on the one hand, the approach of the European Union to participation in regional agreements, as a leader in terms of the number of trade agreements in force, and on the other hand, the ASEAN strategy in the formation of integration associations. In the course of the work, the main trends in the formation and development of regional trade agreements were characterized, the features of the EU and ASEAN participation in the integration processes at the present stage were determined, and the influence of regional trade agreements on the foreign trade relations of the ASEAN member countries and the EU was revealed. Based on the results of the study, the possibilities of expanding the RTS network of the European Union and ASEAN and the prospects for cooperation with the EAEU were identified.