Subregionalism in EU and APEC

As a consequence of the new regionalism a marked increase in the number of regional groupings can be observed which makes the preferential relations between states even more complicated and complex. One of such complex relationships, which did not come to being during the third wave of regionalism but was strongly supported by it, is subregionalism - simply said, overlapping of regional integrations. The aim of this comparative study is to analyze a current state and development of subregionalism within two region-wide integrations - the European Union (EU) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - and on the basis of this analysis to compare the effects of this phenomenon in both regions. Some general conclusions enabling an assessment of future development of subregionalism and its impact on regionalism in Europe and Asia are the main outcomes of the comparison.