In many of the countries discussed above, the impetus for using a variety of PPP approaches to expedite delivery of needed transportation facilities comes from the changing conditions and opportunities resulting from global shifts in political and economic alliances and the interdependency required by an ever-expanding global economy. As listed earlier in this section, these changes include the growing economic activity in nations that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, coupled with the emergence of economic trading blocks such as the European Union and the South American Union. Ultimately it is the continued expansion of the interdependent global economy that is prompting many nations overseas to adopt strategies like PPPs to speed the delivery of transportation infrastructure needed to facilitate and respond to these developments.