The best-known example of regional integration is the European Union (EU), an economic and political intergovernmental organisation of 27 member states, all in Europe.
[1][2] The EU operates through a system of supranational independent institutions and intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member states.
Intergovernmentalism represents a way for limiting the conferral of powers upon supranational institutions, halting the emergence of common policies.
[11] However, from a neo-functionalist viewpoint, some scholars argue that despite the appearance of intergovernmental dominance, the EU's supranational institutions have progressively expanded their influence through spillover effects, which gradually limit member states' control and enhance deeper integration.
The AU was presented on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and officially founded on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).