During a summit in the Spanish city of Granada on Oct. 6, the 27 governments of the European Union expressed their support for incorporating new countries into the bloc. However, they failed to provide a clear timeline for enlargement and only made vague promises of progress by 2030. This lack of headway is symptomatic of internal divisions over the issue, as some leaders argue that an expanded membership would strengthen the European Union's geopolitical clout, while others warn against adding new members to a bloc that is already difficult to govern. The European Union is unlikely to resolve this dispute in the foreseeable future, exposing it to frequent instability in its periphery and opening the door to greater influence from foreign actors in EU candidate countries....
