The EU as a Model of Regional Integration for SAARC.

Byline: Dr. Sakti Prasad Srichandan

Introduction South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), since its inception in 1985, has increased its membership to eight nations of the region which includes world's biggest democracy - India and the youngest democracy - Afghanistan. Such a grouping which represents more than one sixth of the humanity should have played a bigger role in the progress of the region which is home to a large number of poverty-stricken people. While there is a general pessimism regarding SAARC's contribution towards the region, some people still pin hope for its rejuvenation and realization of dreams like South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), South Asian Customs Union and possibly South Asian Economic Union. In such a state of affairs, they look at the European Union (EU) as a possible model/experience worth emulating for this beleaguered region.

According to Prof. Ludger Kuhnhardt, 'SAARC consists of the most impossible combination of countries and political regimes, socio-economic realities and ethnic composition, religious and linguistic diversity the world could possibly offer. And yet, the geographical factor has outnumbered all possible reservations against the very idea of a South Asian form of regional co-operation and possibly integration'.

Though both the EU and SAARC as regional groupings were created under different 'circumstances' and their objectives differ (SAARC calls for 'cooperation' while the EU calls for 'integration'), still the success story of EU has been widely referred as an 'inspiration' if not a 'role model' for strengthening and rejuvenating SAARC. Why the 'EU'? The cold war power rivalry, American support, fear of Germany's resurgence, irresistible temptations of economic advantages, called for an integrated regional framework first in the form of European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and then the European Community (EC)/European Union (EU). In the post-Second World War situation, supranationalism over nationalism was favourable to the immediate national interests of powerful nations like Germany and France.

The political and economic conditions of 1980s and 1990s strengthened the EC's institutional mechanism. Regional/ European interests were seen as a way of safeguarding strategic interests or revitalising faith in nation states, which had been severely damaged by the Second World War, particularly by its proponents. But subsequently when integration tried to intrude the core...