Interregionalism Initiatives to Counter the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Cases of EU, ASEAN, AU and Mercosur

The COVID-19 crisis has been a challenge for those who defend the architecture of multilateralism. The demand for coordinated responses signals the phenomenon of interregionalism as a strategic choice to contain the pandemic. The interaction between regional, bi-regional groupings and single powers facilitates a space for cooperation to develop collective policies in the field of crisis management. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the types of interregional dialogues and the nature of interaction more usual in the midst of COVID-19. This analysis helps to understand the degree of involvement of regional organizations in the dynamics of interregionalism. To do so, the study is based on the typologies of Hanggi (2000) and Gardini and Malamud (2018) to examine the organizations selected for this case study: EU, ASEAN, AU and MERCOSUR. The research question is the following “What type of interregional initiatives EU, ASEAN, AU and MERCOSUR adopted to face the challenges posed by COVID-19?” To answer this question a comparative analysis is employed. The period of investigation starts from January to October 2020 accounting for the various expressions of the pandemic. The findings indicate that there have been very few interregional initiatives that have taken place mainly at the socio-economic level and hybrid type. The preference for traditional bilateral relations between states reveals the low actorness of regional organizations and the weakness of multilateral institutions.