At present, the international community is witnessing a proliferation of RECs. They have become a predominant mode for organizing international trade. As of July 2010, the World Trade Organization (WTO) had been notified about 474 regional trade agreements. Each regional trade agreement differs in its ultimate goal; it may create a free trade area, customs union, common market, economic union or complete economic integration. Whichever stage an REC is at, it is undeniable that economic integration results in a juxtaposition of states, laws, legal systems and institutions to achieve a common economic vision. This creates a complex web of relations in which the principal actors are the community, member states, individuals and other international organizations. Accordingly, a fundamental challenge in economic integration is that of structuring and managing the relations between and among these actors. As noted in Chapter 1, relational issues are endemic in economic integration. The extent to which the issues are present in a community, how they are approached and the urgency with which they are addressed have a direct relationship with the stage of integration reached or envisaged. The further economic integration progresses, the more obvious these issues become – and the more immediate the need to address them.