The Dubious Perspective of the Eastern Partnership Countries Joining the European Union

Abstract

There were significant geopolitical shuffles in Europe in the early 1990s. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, the collapse of socialist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe & the disintegration of Yugoslavia emerged as severe threats to destabilizing the international system. Some European countries of the former Eastern Bloc joined the E.U. and NATO swiftly. In contrast, the adjacent countries to Russia of the so-called Eastern Partnership, even Russia in the early '90s, have shown interest in close cooperation with the West. However, the E.U.'s support for the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Rose Revolution in Georgia led to a loss of confidence. Discontent escalated, and the EU-Russia partnership froze after the occupation of Crimea and its annexation to Russia. Having recovered economically and politically, Russia seeks its restoration as a superpower and the rival U.S. In this perspective, Russia envisages perpetuating its influence on the countries that had been members of the Soviet Union. Presumably, Russia is directly or indirectly trying to impede the European course of the Eastern Partnership countries that have already declared an interest in becoming E.U.  members. The developments in the most significant countries of the Eastern Partnership countries, Ukraine and Georgia, confirm the difficulties they face in claiming the right to join the E.U and N.A.T.O. Has the E.U. Enlargement to the East reached its limits? Can the Eastern Partnership countries ever become E.U. members?