Regional organisations and their members: the question of authority

The growing interdependence between states with regard to diverse issues such as trade, security, human rights and the environment has compelled the creation of international and regional organisations, often with supranational characteristics, as instruments to regulate newly emerging international issues. International and regional organisations are increasingly viewed as new lawmaking actors, which are to some extent autonomous from the states that establish them. This article, with specific reference to the European Union and African Union, investigates the relationship between regional organisations and their members with regard to the authority to make and apply legislation.