European Union: An Integration Exporter or an Actor Sui Generis

The European Union was formed after the Second World War in search of peace and to help Europe stand up on its feet economically. Starting from a six nation organisation, today it is a 28 member organisation. It is one of the most integrated models of regional organisation and looked up as a perfect model by other regions. There is a tendency to compare other regional organisations with EU. Hailed as one of the most successful model, there is often effort to replicate the EU model. The success of EU is beyond doubt, however, it is a product of its own experiences and historical milieu. Other regions might have different experiences. The paper is an attempt to analyse the factors that make European Union unique and whether it can be replicated in other parts of the world or not.