In the absence of the EU, it is clear that international cooperation to address problems of
common interest would still have taken place either on a bilateral or sub-continental (Nordic
countries, Benelux), continental (a European Free Trade Area) or global basis (in the context
of the UN institutions or ad hoc international treaties). Compared to bilateral agreements
between Member States, the EU framework provides an efficient means to extend coverage of
necessary agreements throughout the territory of the union. Successive rounds of enlargement
have enlarged the advantage of this approach compared to a bilateral one.