Georgia and Moldova formally apply for EU membership

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-moldova-eu-applications/31734092.html

Two former Soviet republics, Georgia and Moldova, have formally applied for European Union membership, after their ambitions were accelerated in the shadow of Russia's full-scale invasion of nearby Ukraine.

The newfound initiative in the two countries -- where Russian troops are positioned in defiance of local and international opposition -- follows Ukraine's decision to press its demands for EU membership since tens of thousands of Russian troops crossed its borders from the east, south, and via Belarus from the north.

The EU accession process usually takes years and requires meeting strict criteria that takes into account such factors as economic stability, the level of corruption, and respect for human rights. Unanimity among the 27-nation bloc is required to allow new members in.

[Santander]

They should convert to Catholicism first.

[Astatine]

do we really need Marjorie Taylor Greene in the European Parliament now smh

[President Johnson]

Not happening anytime soon, because the process takes time and I'm relatively sure the requirements aren't met yet. Even Ukraine is not in sight, if you ask me. Latter may become a formal candidate at some point in the next year or two, assuming Russia doesn't take over. When it comes to membership, I don't see this happening within less than five years, even in the best of circumstances.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Moldova might have a shortcut. Romania wouldn't mind having them join.

[Flyersfan232]

Georgia should restore the monarchy and Moldova should reunit with romania

[Flyersfan232]

Moldova might have a shortcut. Romania wouldn't mind having them join.

but reuniting

[CumbrianLefty]

Is nobody going to insist on a geographically correct definition of Europe?

This definition is actually disputed, so no.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Is nobody going to insist on a geographically correct definition of Europe?

This definition is actually disputed, so no.

Culturally and ethnically? Sure. Geographically? The consensus is pretty firmly on the Caucasus as the southern boundary. Either way, I find an EU including Georgia but excluding Turkey pretty tough to accept.

The EU is on the record as allowing both to apply, but neither will meet the acquis to get in anytime soon. Even Kazakhstan has been told it can apply because of the Urals.

They go for a maximalist approach fitting all definitions of Europe, but no further than that. Israel, for instance, cannot apply.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Is nobody going to insist on a geographically correct definition of Europe?

This definition is actually disputed, so no.

Culturally and ethnically? Sure. Geographically? The consensus is pretty firmly on the Caucasus as the southern boundary. Either way, I find an EU including Georgia but excluding Turkey pretty tough to accept.

The EU is on the record as allowing both to apply, but neither will meet the acquis to get in anytime soon. Even Kazakhstan has been told it can apply because of the Urals.

They go for a maximalist approach fitting all definitions of Europe, but no further than that. Israel, for instance, cannot apply.

I'm familiar with the determination. I just think it's wrong, on geographic grounds.

[Astatine]

Is nobody going to insist on a geographically correct definition of Europe?

This definition is actually disputed, so no.

Culturally and ethnically? Sure. Geographically? The consensus is pretty firmly on the Caucasus as the southern boundary. Either way, I find an EU including Georgia but excluding Turkey pretty tough to accept.

I am more than fine with an EU eventually including a democratic Georgia but excluding an authoritarian Turkey (not stating that Georgia is ready now, but Turkey has moved from any realistic shot of EU accession in recent years).

[Zinneke]

We should take in Moldova, as they have shown relative restraint to their minorities and have an impressive exemplary leader. Plus Transnistria is a mafia state and Putin will for sure use it as a pretext for building his Russian Empire.

Georgia launched a war of agression on Abkhazians immediately after they themselves were a seperate state and despite Abkhazians and Russian Caucasian soldiers causing ethnic cleansing, Georgia does not have a squeaky clean record. I'm sure there are very good people, democrats in Georgia but the EU shifting its stance and allowing such a country for entirely strategic reasons opens a whole can of worms and actually feeds into the Putinist narrative of encirclement. EU should instead look to build regional cooperation in the Caucasus to counter Russian and Turkish power games.

[Farmlands]

Is nobody going to insist on a geographically correct definition of Europe?

This definition is actually disputed, so no.

Culturally and ethnically? Sure. Geographically? The consensus is pretty firmly on the Caucasus as the southern boundary. Either way, I find an EU including Georgia but excluding Turkey pretty tough to accept.

The EU is on the record as allowing both to apply, but neither will meet the acquis to get in anytime soon. Even Kazakhstan has been told it can apply because of the Urals.

They go for a maximalist approach fitting all definitions of Europe, but no further than that. Israel, for instance, cannot apply.

I'm familiar with the determination. I just think it's wrong, on geographic grounds.

The European Union has presently been about ideology much more than geography. And the Erdogan regime isn't remotely close to having the same ideas about religion, freedom and democracy that most of the EU nations share.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Given Erdogan's reelection is truly contested at the moment, i wonder if there will be a slight boost to turkish theoretical membership with a CHP government. (Probably not).

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Is nobody going to insist on a geographically correct definition of Europe?

This definition is actually disputed, so no.

Culturally and ethnically? Sure. Geographically? The consensus is pretty firmly on the Caucasus as the southern boundary. Either way, I find an EU including Georgia but excluding Turkey pretty tough to accept.

The EU is on the record as allowing both to apply, but neither will meet the acquis to get in anytime soon. Even Kazakhstan has been told it can apply because of the Urals.

They go for a maximalist approach fitting all definitions of Europe, but no further than that. Israel, for instance, cannot apply.

I'm familiar with the determination. I just think it's wrong, on geographic grounds.

The European Union has presently been about ideology much more than geography. And the Erdogan regime isn't remotely close to having the same ideas about religion, freedom and democracy that most of the EU nations share.

That's good and well, but the EU is in many ways a de-facto confederation which means its outer geographic border matters. It has to be acknowledged that adding a chunk of the Caucasus to Schengen and the Eurozone has enormous implications for what can happen in the rest of Europe. Georgia has it's own de-facto lawless autonomous areas, not to mention borders with Dagestan and Chechnya. You might as well add Tunisia to the EU. I'm fully cognizant of how awkward it is for me to be arguing for less Europe, but pushing the outer fringe of the EU too far east significantly kneecaps the ability for the core EU to move towards "ever closer union." A Europe that expands horizontally too rapidly will find vertical strengthening an enormous struggle. Obviously Georgia isn't joining anytime soon, but I think dismissing geographic concerns for a body that increasingly interacts with the outside world as a single unit is shortsighted.

Tbf, Greece was a part of the EU long before the Warsaw Pact states, so these sort of territorial aberrations are survivable. I think the consensus in Europe has shifted to slower horizontal integration because of Brexit/Greece in the financial crisis/Orban and PiS shenanigans, and the Russian incursion isn’t going to wholly reverse that sentiment in the long term.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland are probably the only states with easy tickets into the EU at the moment. Even if the bureaucracy ignored its issues with Transnistria, Moldova would probably fail to meet a lot of the acquis and the assessment could take years. Their EU membership speed run requires rejoining Romania and sidestepping this process.

The Georgian government doesn’t actually want to join the EU, since its leader is quite anxious not to rile Putin. It started this process because it seemed this step the easiest to take to quell domestic outrage Ukraine.

[Meclazine for Israel]

If Ukraine falls to Russia, these two countries are toast.