The European Union must get bigger or risk facing a "new Iron Curtain" along its eastern flank, European Council President Charles Michel said Monday as the bloc marks 20 years since its largest-ever enlargement, Ednews reports via Euronews.
"Enlargement is vital for the future of the EU because without enlargement [there is] a risk for a new Iron Curtain," Michel said in an interview with a select group of journalists.
"It would be extremely dangerous if you would have an unstable neighbourhood with a lack of prosperity or lack of economic development. These are our common interests - of candidate countries and the EU - to make progress, to speed up," he added.
His stark warning comes on the anniversary of the so-called big bang enlargement of 2004 when ten countries - including seven former Soviet republics or satellite states - were granted EU membership.
