supranational union

A supranational union, sometimes called also a supranational state, is a group of countries that has:

some of the traits of a regional international organization
and some of the traits of a federal state,

In other words, it is a hybrid or transitional institution. Some decisions need the member states' consensus (intergovernmentalism) and others need only a majority, either of the member states or of elected representatives (supranationalism)

The process leading to such groups

The trend to globalization makes country isolation less and less possible.

Political / military alliances / coalitions / leagues / blocs, are either things of the past or, in modern days, may lack stability, clear inner decision process, and international legitimity.
International organizations, that started to flourish in the 20th century, are one step as being bodies helping concertation between states, but they depend mostly on the goodwill of the nation-states that comprise them.
Also the trend to create trade blocs, leading to common markets, (NAFTA, MERCOSUR), or one step further, to economic unions is growing.

But some countries, in a given world region, like a continent or subcontinent, feel the need for more integration, without adopting immediately all the institutions of a federal nation. Whence their idea to become united into supranational entities.

An institutional model: the European Union

This kind of organization has many of the traits of a sovereign country. It aims at unifying various parts of the legal base, building common instititutions, and be recognized by outside countries and organisations. More practically, the European Union is the project that went further in this direction. It is still a singularity. But its organization is studied by other would-be country groups, as a basis for their own project (see SACN for example), obviously needing adaptations to their own situation and objectives. A practical description of this reference model includes such institutional traits as:

A body of "Commissioners", with a President, to prepare laws and regulation for the whole area. Some of the commissioners have negotiation powers with other organizations (the WTO for example) or countries, and some sanction power about the obeyance of common rules (free trade...)

A system of first decision on those proposed legislations assigned to the Council of Ministers Council, made of ministers from all individual states.

A final voting system by a citizen-elected Parliament.

The integration of those legislation into the law systems of the individual states, as the founding treaties of the Union commits them to do such integration.

Others aspects, for example

a common passport,
a single or common currency, for the whole group or part of it,
its own budget to fund common programmes in some fields (agriculture, resarch, education...),
a common investment bank for trans-country infrastructure projects and for regional development
etc.

Supranational Union

The process leading to such groups

An institutional model: the European Union

See also