E.U Versus ECOWAS for the Purpose of Regional Integration

Abstract

E.U and ECOWAS both are regional organizations which emerged through the same process with the same purpose and approach as well as their goals of achieving regional integration through the use of economic spill over as the leading sector towards the regional development and cooperation. E.U emerged as a regional organization known as ECSC in 1951 after second world war in order to hinder another occurrence of war in Europe and stop the rivalry and conflict between France and Germany, which was actually responsible for the most violent conflict in their continent and to bring prosperity to all member states, set up to vibrate the energy of France and Germany to be more productive in terms of development and achieve its own mission of regional integration. The successful economic integration of Western Europe after 1957 inspired West African leaders to start thinking about how to put their efforts and provide their resources together for regional integration as the only way out of achieving the dividends of independence to their people and a relief to the hardship of many years of colonial administration and sufferings. The primary objective of this paper is to show the similarity of emergence between E.U and ECOWAS for the purpose of regional integration. The research is qualitative in nature and It adopted content analysis which is descriptive. The result found, is a procedure followed by the both organizations for the purpose of regional integrations. In conclusion, one can understand the similarity between the two organizations.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5s2p688