EU leaders back bigger union but avoid date, warn against short cuts

European Union leaders declared support on Friday for adding new members to the bloc but set no target date and warned candidates such as Ukraine that there would be no short cuts. At a summit in the Spanish city of Granada, leaders of the 27-nation union proclaimed that EU enlargement is an "investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity". But they also said that both the EU and would-be members – which include Ukraine, Moldova and Western Balkan states – would need to make big changes to be ready for an enlarged union.