The European Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: A Case of Inter-regionalism?
Ivaylo Gatev, University of Nottingham Ningbo China
Regional blocs like the European Union (EU) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) seek to respond to a range of twenty-first century challenges and opportunities. These relate to extending the scope and efficiency of regional markets, fighting illicit cross-border movements of people and goods, reacting to political instability and the breakdown of law and order, and managing the scarcity of natural resources, among others. Although they are yet to establish formal ties, the potential for cooperation between the two organisations on a range of transboundary issues is enormous. This paper aims to assess the prospects for inter-regional cooperation between the EU and the SCO, with a particular emphasis on transport and energy. It examines the potential drivers and limitations of this cooperation, and argues that cooperative relations between the two blocs would constitute a case of advanced inter-regionalism.