Will Brussels miss a historic moment in Europe’s integration?

The six East European and South Caucasian countries of the EU’s so-called Eastern Partnership program all belong, in one way or another, to Europe. Nevertheless, none of them have so far been officially offered the prospect of entering the EU once they and the EU would be ready for accession. Indeed, two of the Eastern Partners of the EU, Belarus and Azerbaijan, are currently too far away from EU standards to discuss such entrance. However, the four remaining countries – Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Ukraine – could already today be given an explicit promise to start accession negotiations once they meet the EU’s fundamental conditions for membership. Brussels should not any longer wait with opening this prospect. The history of the EU’s engagement with Central and East European countries illustrates why.