This contribution analyzes the role of organized civil society actors from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda within the regionalization processes of the East African Community (EAC). Three research questions are developed in order to inquire the impact of civil society actors on the regional level in eastern Africa. Mainly building on assumptions from the new regionalism approaches, this contribution introduces a theoretically guided framework for analyzing the role of organized civil society actors within regional schemes, such as the EAC. Based on triangulation across data sources, including