A leap of faith or a jump too far? The prospect of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova joining the EU

Civitas on Air

Our podcast for the first time in English! Should Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova join the European Union? One side of the debate sees that a fast-tracked EU membership deal is the best way to help these countries become secure and prosperous, especially in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Moscow's possible further regional ambitions. However, another argument sees that these states' fragile democratic systems, and problems associated with widespread corruption and weak rule of law mean that they are a long way from meeting basic EU membership criteria, and should therefore, not be allowed to join too quickly without sufficient conditions and stringent backstopping. The guest of this episode is Dr. Kerry Longhurst, an expert on Eastern Europe, who talks to Dr. Agnieszka Nitza about the effects of the war in Ukraine. Listen to our timely podcast and make up your mind on the EU's enlargement conundrum!