EU expansion doesn’t rely on a successful European economy. Croatia’s accession to the EU took place entirely post-GFC.
The real reason the EU won’t expand significantly is because there’s nowhere for it to expand to. Norway, Switzerland and Iceland don’t want to join. Turkey and the Ukraine aren’t wanted. Some of the remaining Balkan countries will join eventually, but they total only 18 million people, and none are great accession candidates; it’s now recognised that Bulgaria was probably a mistake, and there’s no wish to repeat that. I’d say there’s more chance that the UK leaves the EU than it undertakes a significant expansion in the next, say, 20 years.
EU expansion doesn’t rely on a successful European economy. Croatia’s accession to the EU took place entirely post-GFC.
The real reason the EU won’t expand significantly is because there’s nowhere for it to expand to. Norway, Switzerland and Iceland don’t want to join. Turkey and the Ukraine aren’t wanted. Some of the remaining Balkan countries will join eventually, but they total only 18 million people, and none are great accession candidates; it’s now recognised that Bulgaria was probably a mistake, and there’s no wish to repeat that. I’d say there’s more chance that the UK leaves the EU than it undertakes a significant expansion in the next, say, 20 years.