Europe ‘Somewhat Weary’ of Expansion: EU Not Expecting Georgia Anytime Soon

At the Eastern Partnership Summit in Warsaw, European leaders tried to re-ignite the passion in both the EU and the East for closer integration, reminding both sides of why they should continue their courtship.

The two-day summit closed Friday with a declaration in which EU leaders said they “acknowledge the European aspirations” of a group of ex-Soviet countries — indicating that the EU’s doors remain open to them in the future, if they make far-reaching democratic changes, AP reports.

None, however, have any realistic chance of joining for years to come. This is because of their recent track records and because the EU itself is so bogged down by the Greek debt crisis and questions about the euro’s future that some are now questioning if the EU can even survive in its current form.

In fact, AFP reported French Prime Minister François Fillon as saying on the sidelines of the summit: “though in sympathy with Ukraine and Georgia’s expectations, I believe debating over the type of EU relationship with the countries in question would be ineffective at this point.”

“Europe is somewhat weary of the idea of EU expansion. The West cannot help feeling that Bulgaria and Romania’s 2007 EU accession was much too premature,” he was quoted as saying.

The summit in Warsaw was devoted to the Eastern Partnership, an initiative launched by Sweden and Poland in 2009 to deepen the EU’s ties with Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan.