8.2. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (asean).

Asia-Pacific Region operates by a number of local zones of two or more countries. For example, Australia and New Zealand signed an Agreement on free trade and by its implementation have increased mutual trade turnover of $ 5,3 billion (70's) to $ 8.4 billion (80's) , that is by 57%. The mutual complementarity of the economies of some pairs of countries - Malaysia and Singapore, China and Hong Kong and others, - promotes the growth of regional trade while the neighboring countries are involving in this area: for example, Singapore significantly increased its trade with Thailand and Indonesia by 2,6 and 3,5 times in 80's. Characteristically, local participation in the integration process does not deprive the region initiative to search for more extensive relations.

ASSOCIATION of SOUTH EAST ASIAN NATIONS Brunei Vietnam Indonesia Cambodia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand	"Asian subsystem Japan – New Industrial Countries - ASEAN - China, Vietnam”, which has a special independent significance, because of inherent high rate of development and expansion of mutual relations at international investment, trade, and intercompany communication is quite influential in the region.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) established in 1967 with the participation of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Brunei (1984) is the most effective integration structures in the APR. For a long time this group had not notable success in their mutual economic relation, it was more political than economic union. The economic cooperation was blocked by uneven development of some countries, the lack of necessary infrastructure, the interconnection of their economies.

Today, political factors have weakened, while the growth and structural change in the member states led to the gap in levels of development - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand belong to the "second wave" of new industrial countries that:

• intensified economic relations;

• created favorable conditions for faster development of interregional labor division and led to some positive developments within the block.

Organizational-regulatory structure ASEAN Meeting of Heads of the States and Governments Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs Meeting of Ministers of Economics Meeting of Branch Ministers Secretary Inter-Parliamentary Organization

ASEAN has a fairly coherent organizational and regulatory structure: - Meeting of the Heads of State and Government as a higher authority - there is one every three years.

• Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs determines / studies policy mainstreams - is held annually, alternately in the participating countries in alphabetical order.

• Meeting of Ministers of Economics defines mainstreams of economic cooperation - occur annually.

Meeting of Foreign Ministers and Economic Ministers submit a general report to the Heads of State and Government during their meeting.

• Meetings of Branch Ministers, who are responsible for particular sectors of economic cooperation (energy, agriculture, etc.) - are held as required.

The results of such meetings, reported to the Council of Ministers of Economy.

• Secretary ASEAN is headed by the secretary general who initiates, advises, coordinates and directs group activity. The secretary also serves as the center of support of communications ASEAN with the foreign states and the international organizations.

• Inter-Parliamentary Organization ASEAN.

Besides, in structure ASEAN are Standing Committee, meeting of senior officials, the Joint Advisory Committee, the Committees in third countries.

A sign of deepening the integration process in the sub-region was the signing in 1977 an agreement on preferences in mutual trade in 1981 - an agreement on industrial synergies in the private sector, according to which the foreseen implementation of special programs for the development of production of some industrial goods.

Economic integration contributes to the normalization of the political situation in the subregion, growth and structural change in the economy of member countries reduce the gap between levels of economic development and deepening of regional division of labor activates economic relations.

Thus, successful enough may be the formation of subregional free trade zone. The Singapore Declaration in 1992, sent a group to deepen economic and political cooperation and integration in the subregion. In particular, agreement was reached in the economic sphere:

• Creating a free trade zone - AFTA - till 2003.

• Entering the single preferential customs tariffs and basically establishment of a mechanism free trade zone – AFTA.

• Creation of a council at ministerial level to monitor compliance with the preferential customs regime.

New impetus to the process betraying "the Asian-European dialogue", which started between ASEAN and the European Union in 1996 at the Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the two groups. The subject of discussion was the development of intercontinental "bridge" of multilateral economic and political cooperation.

In September 2006, leaders of ASEAN - 10, EU-25, China, South Korea, Japan, with the participation of President of the European Commission, met in Gelsіnkі at the summit of the Forum Asia - Europe (ASEM), which were considered the results of ten years of cooperation in this format.

References between Asia and the EU during this period made considerable progress. Strengthened economic relations. Trade between East Asia and Western Europe within the ASEM exceeded 43% of world merchandise trade, and common part of world GNP is approaching 52%.Was defined community of interest with respect to expansion of political dialogue, human rights, rule of law, global threats and security cooperation in the sphere of culture.

The results of cooperation in political, economic and humanitarian spheres gave reasons, experts noted that ASEM partners have the necessary critical mass to influence world politics and the changing world in totally.

Although the Association of South East Asia there are more than 40 years, its institutional sequencing was completed only at the beginning of the XXI century. This once again highlights the complexity of networking integration and cooperation between countries with very different levels of economic development and political priorities. In beginning ХХІ ст the situation has essentially changed. Singapore has risen to level of the advanced postindustrial states of the world and creates a society on the basis of economic knowledge. Brunei became the country with high level of incomes. In Malaysia and Thailand, per capita income has risen above the world average. Indonesia and the Philippines have incomes average. Vietnam at the level of scientific and technological capabilities in several important industries caught up with the advanced countries in the subregion.

So, in 2007 at the November summit in Singapore's economic integration was eventually recognized as the main task of the group of ten. At this summit, the leaders of the member countries agreed to and signed the text of the Statute / Charter for ASEAN, which entered into force in December 2008, has become a fundamental political and legal documents, which defined the limits of the sequence and direction of the integration process within ASEAN, its interaction with other actors and institutions of international law.

In the beginning of 2009 at the next summit, which took place in Thailand, the participants signed the Declaration of ASEAN road map of the Commonwealth in 2009-2015, who anticipate the establishment till 2015 the only free trade zone in the sub-region with a population of 700 million people.

Countries ASEAN effectively use foreign economic relations with neighboring countries. Trade relations with China, Republic Korea, Japan dynamically develop. The foreign trade turnover with this three of the big Asians exceeds $400 billion. Ends with the creation of the Free Trade Area ASEAN-China. Complicated by the agreement establishing free trade areas with Japan and South Korea.

In this way, the Asian East, is actively developing cooperation in the format of ASEAN +3, which are ready to join Australia, India, New Zealand. Negotiations about the creation of a free trade zone with this six countries. It is important for ASEAN remains the North American vector of foreign economic relations. ASEAN-United States relations have a clear political, economic, legal structure and a variety of regulatory mechanisms. ASEAN-United States trade turnover exceeds $ 160 billion.

The above-said enables researchers reason to believe that ASEAN - in 2010 becomes the driving force behind international economic integration in the subregion of Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region totally.