Regional economic integration can be defined as the degree of interpenetration of economic activity among countries belonging to the same geographic area, and is measured both by real aspects such as trade and fdi and by financial and monetary aspects, such as interest rate and inflation rate convergence. The actual level of economic integration reached by a region at a given point in time can be interpreted as the outcome of both economic factors and official policies, with different combinations of the two depending on the case in question• Regional economic integration can be defined as the degree of interpenetration of economic activity among countries belonging to the same geographic area, and is measured both by real aspects, such as trade and FDI , and by financial and monetary aspects, such as interest rate and inflation rate convergence. The actual level of economic integration reached by a region at a given point in time can be interpreted as the outcome of both economic factors and official policies, with different combinations of the two depending on the case in question