Table of Contents

PART I 1 Preface Giovanni Finizio, Lucio Levi and Nicola Vallinoto 2 Introduction Lucio Levi 3 The Legal and Political Status of International Parliamentary Institutions Claudia Kissling PART II: Universal Organizations 4 United Nations Giovanni Finizio 5 World Bank Tina M. Zappile 6 International Monetary Fund Jonathan R. Strand 7 World Trade Organization Alexia Herwig 8 International Labour Organization Jill Jensen 9 Inter-Parliamentary Union Claudia Kissling PART III: Regional Organizations Europe 10 The Democratization of the European Union: Historical and Theoretical Aspects Mario Telò Box 1. Benelux 11 European Union: the Process Towards Supranationality Lucia Serena Rossi Box 2. Central European Iniziative 12 The Democratization of the European Union Dawid Friedrich Box 3. Nordic Council Africa 13 African Union (AU) Stephen S. Kingah 14 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Hélene Gandois 15 West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Kama Tapè Berengér 16 Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Angela Meyer 17 Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CAEMC) Angela Meyer 18 East African Community (EAC) Korwa G. Adar 19 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Andreas Godsäter Box 4. Arab Maghreb Union America 20 South American Common Market (MERCOSUR) Mariana Luna Pont 21 Andean Community (CAN) Dayanna Sanchez Rodriguez 22 Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) Nicolas Comini 23 Central American Integration System (SICA) Giannis Papageorgiou 24 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Tamara Brown-Onnis 25 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Jordan Bankhead Asia and Oceania 26 Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Herman Joseph S. Kraft 27 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Deepshikha Shahi 28 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jordan Bankhead 29 Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Chris Hamer PART IV: Interregional Organizations 30 Council of Europe (CoE) Kundai M. Sithole Box 5. Arctic Council 31 EU/ACP Partnership Andrea Cofelice Box 6. International Organization of La Francophonie 32 League of Arab States (LAS) Nadine Mourad Sika Box 7. Council of Baltic Sea States 33 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Marek Madej Box 8. Organization of Black Sea Economic Co-operation 34 Organization of American States (OAS) Marcos Aurélio Guedes de Oliveira Box 9. Organization of Islamic Cooperation 35 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Julinda Beqiraj 36 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Alexander Libman PART V 37 Autonomous Interparliamentary Assemblies Edited by Laura Roscio: Amazonian Parliament; Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum; Association of Senates, Shoora and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World; Baltic Assembly; Central European Initiative; Indigenous Parliament of America; Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy; Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas; Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean; Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas PART VI 38 Civil Society Movements and Campaigns for International Democracy Nicola Vallinoto