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100			_aBorocz, Jozsef _961235
245			_aWill the European union absorb its poorest eastern and South-Eastern neighbours, and what then?
260			_aEconomic & Political Weekly
300			_a61(20), May 16, 2026: p.51-60
520			_aAs of early 2026, discussions on Ukraine’s prospective membership dominate international coverage of the European Union’s evolving borders. That is somewhat peculiar, given that the website of the European Commission lists1 as many as 10 countries as “candidates for membership.” With the exception of Türkiye—whose accession remains politically unlikely—the remaining candidates emerged from the disintegration of the former socialist bloc and exhibit substantially lower per capita incomes than any state previously admitted to the EU. The largest and poorest among them is war-torn Ukraine. This paper reviews the historical trajectory of the EU’s enlargements using data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. Drawing on conceptual tools from world systems analysis, it assesses the economic feasibility and political willingness of the EU to address the development challenges associated with further enlargement. The study also evaluates the likely forms of integration that may emerge between the EU and its current candidate countries.- Reproduced https://www.epw.in/journal/special-articles/will-european-union-absorb-its-poorest-eastern-and.html
773			_aEconomic & Political Weekly
942			_cAR