📌 Democracy doesn’t happen on its own — it needs resilience, trust, and collective action. ⭐ A big thank you to all speakers, partners and participants who joined EPD’s Annual Conference 2026 and helped unpack one central question: how do we build democracies ready for the challenges ahead?

🔥 With over 10,000 views, @vanghel.bsky.social's introduction to the Special Issue "Wartime Europe: EU Integration, Reform and Enlargement", "Why the EU is a geopolitical power", is JEPP's most-read article in 2025.

Register now for the APSA @interpretivemm.bsky.social "Studying Cool Stuff Seriously" short course I'm chairing Wednesday Sept 2. Speakers include Micah English, Tania Islas Weinstein, Alexis Lerner, Samantha Majic, Jelena Subotic, Michelle Weitzel, Colleen Wood connect.apsanet.org/apsa2026/pre...

Well, this was fun. Many thanks to @aseees.bsky.social for asking the questions and for the opportunity of a short trip down academic (and not only) memory lane. aseees.org/news/veronic...

💫 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐲. We need to stop calling the EU a club. Everything else will follow. ⤵️ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 🔗 bit.ly/4hD90rh

"since America’s problems with Iran are inherently political, military objectives cannot be proper war aims. And proper war aims are what’s missing: a desired end state that can be served by a ledger of destruction but must be more than the ledger itself.” @ryanevans.bsky.social

Autocrats: We are untouchable. Hungarians:

Good piece here by @vanghel.bsky.social on how the technocratic integration of Ukraine continues despite EU wavering, Trump betrayal and Putin invasion. encompass-europe.com/comment/ukra... @padamson.bsky.social

The debates on EU enlargement we track today already existed in the 1980s-90s. Integrating Ukraine is only different in intensity and urgency. 👇 My contribution to a series on the role of the European Parliament. W/ thanks to the @eui-euarchives.bsky.social www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en...

"Hegseth has created a command climate in which subordinates might fear defending their educational programs. The dynamic reminds me of the tightening of the rules of engagement in Afghanistan during the Obama administration"

Kramatorsk is a city that today is closely associated with the railway. Conductor Olha runs the Kherson-Kramatorsk train across the entire country and every day sees how some people leave the city while others return. For her, the train is a second home, and the passengers are her temporary family.

encompass-europe.com/comment/ukra... @vanghel.bsky.social

‘How will Europe look like in 2057?’ A creative line for an interview by @artefr.bsky.social at the @eui-eu.bsky.social The global order may settle anywhere between a Cold Peace and Apocalypse Now. Europe will only thrive if it acts as a unified great power for the first time in its history.

Swim! Definitely swim! Looking forward to being back in Oxford this Tuesday. Please join us in conversation w/ @dimitarbechev.bsky.social & @Richard Youngs @St Antony's College or just come say hi.

💥 What are Europe’s top security threats in 2026? @vanghel.bsky.social & @gspataf95.bsky.social analyse the findings of the Global Risks to the EU survey & what they reveal about Europe’s security environment. Read 🔗 ow.ly/Xqvt50Y002s

📚 @vanghel.bsky.social expands on the survey results: "We see a spike across the EU in citizens' commitment to higher defence spending, a unified EU army, support for enlargement and for Ukraine - particularly since Trump took office."

Top threat to the EU in 2026: hybrid attacks on critical infrastructure. Other high-impact risks include a US withdrawal from security guarantees - seen by experts as having an impact comparable to a Russian nuclear strike. @vanghel.bsky.social presents the survey’s findings.

📊 @vanghel.bsky.social presents the results of the survey: "2026 introduces a very dangerous security environment for the EU. Nothing short of a strategy of total defence is necessary to respond to the converging threats we are facing."

📅 2025 was an exciting year: year 1 A.J., the first year of a new era. The newly formed editorial team had no choice but to jump in at the deep end. Another record year of submissions left no time to linger. When I think about this past year with JEPP, two things come to mind: humility and gratitude

✨ Happy holidays from our JEPP team!

The Trump administration has designed “a security strategy for the age of social media, pegged to a never-ending, fluid, ever-adjustable present tense,” writes Michael Kimmage.

🧭 #EUEnlargementDilemmas No.35 🗣️ The #RussiaUkraineWar forced the EU to speak the language of power, but didn’t turn the #EU into a state. ↔️ @vanghel.bsky.social argues that enlargement is the EU’s prime relational technology, binding security to markets, institutions + publics. 👉 bit.ly/49T8ovT

❔| #TTP: Should Europe Negotiate with Russia? By negotiating with the Kremlin, the Trump administration has broken the taboo on diplomacy with Russia. With Ukrainian and European security at stake, is it time to talk to Moscow? 7️⃣ experts give their takes ⤵️ carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat...

⚔️ Special Issue on "Wartime Europe: EU Integration, Reform and Enlargement" edited by @vanghel.bsky.social 🌍 @vanghel.bsky.social: Why the EU is a geopolitical power: wartime enlargement, integration, and reform 🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Love it! EU Enlargement by any other name.

📢 New issue, including the Special Issue on "Wartime Europe: EU Integration, Reform and Enlargement" edited by @vanghel.bsky.social, a debate on EU & NATO enlargement after 2022 and JEPP news 👇 🔗 www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjpp20/3...

📚 #EUIdeas: Asst. Prof. @vanghel.bsky.social & @eui-schuman.bsky.social Dir. @erik-jones.bsky.social explain why the EU tends to enlarge & reform at the same time. 🔗 https://loom.ly/RvMXrq0

“If Europe wants to help shape Russia, it must start now,” argue @vanghel.bsky.social and @radchenko.bsky.social. “Otherwise, Russian drones over Poland and Romania may be a harbinger of a far more troubling future to come.”

Many thanks to @carolinedegruyter.bsky.social for her excellent review of our short book Read Open Access 🔗 bit.ly/4hD90rh

encompass-europe.com/comment/euro... @erik-jones.bsky.social @eui-eu.bsky.social @vanghel.bsky.social

Already in Oxford & looking forward to this talk at Nuffield College on Nov 4. I’m a bit skeptical that Oxford is eager to dissect the sources of the EU’s geopolitical power. Prove me wrong? Prove me wrong, please? If you’re around and we haven’t connected, DM me and let’s meet up.

💫 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐲. We need to stop calling the EU a club. Everything else will follow. ⤵️ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 🔗 bit.ly/4hD90rh

The EU is a geopolitical actor. In a new article, just published in the @jeppjournal.bsky.social, I introduce the SI 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮. I argue for a framework of 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬: the EU’s way of wielding power. 👉 Read here: bit.ly/4mvKnh6

An often-overlooked aspect in discussions on EU enlargement? The role of welfare security💡. I address this in my latest contribution for @ecprtheloop.bsky.social. Thanks @vanghel.bsky.social for inviting me🇪🇺

🛶 The EU feels compelled to venture into unfamiliar waters of geopolitics - but how? 🗺️ @vanghel.bsky.social synthesises the contributions to JEPP's Special Issue on EU Integration, Reform and Enlargement 🔑 She argues that “relational geopolitics” is key 🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Moldova is heading into parliamentary elections on 28 September. To cut through the slogans, Wyoming Star asked @vanghel.bsky.social to assess the government’s performance and the “Russia talk” in domestic politics. wyomingstarnews.org/2025/09/18/e...

Russia is escalating exactly as predicted; we are still reacting. The EU needs a Russia strategy. Much more to do, but here’s a start. ⬇️ w/ @radchenko.bsky.social

Excellent piece by @radchenko.bsky.social and @vanghel.bsky.social reader.foreignaffairs.com/2025/09/16/e...

🌍 Just launched: The Global State of Citizenship 2025 report ⚡ Explore trends in citizenship laws across 191 countries (2020–2024), including dual citizenship, gender equality, immigrant inclusion & more 📊 🔗 Read the full report: globalgovernanceprogramme.eui.eu/global-state...

Congrats to @nenaoana.bsky.social, Marcello Natili and his moustache for new smarticle in @jeppjournal.bsky.social on public support for the EU during crises. A short 🧵: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

New entries in the @ecprtheloop.bsky.social @ecpr EU enlargement series 🔹 why EU enlargement is a necessity for the U.S. 🔹 the risks of wartime politicisation of enlargement or its ‘eternal waiting room' 🔹 the challenges of Ukraine’s accession theloop.ecpr.eu/tag/eu-enlar...

Nicusor Dan’s victory in Romania’s runoff presidential election has halted Romania’s slide into autocracy for the moment—and bought the country time to restore Romanians’ faith in the democratic model, writes @vanghel.bsky.social.

Romania’s democracy lived to fight another day. The country’s future now hinges on whether its leaders can turn this reprieve into renewal—or whether this second chance at democracy will be a missed one. @foreignaffairs.com @eui-schuman.bsky.social @eui-egpp.bsky.social bit.ly/45oc1Yn

On 18 May 2025, Romania narrowly avoided a collapse into illiberal rule. Read "How the Far Right Almost Destroyed Romanian Democracy" by Veronica Anghel: www.journalofdemocra...

🗣️ "On #EuropeDay, we mark a historic act of foresight: the decision to pool sovereignty in the name of peace. Today, Europe is again called to act collectively in the face of rising global risks."- @vanghel.bsky.social Explore the interactive map 👉 buff.ly/35Gqihu

🚇 Mind the gap! Maria Grasso (@qmul.ac.uk) and Rosalind Shorrocks find that while women in Western Europe are more supportive of redistribution and welfare than men, this gender gap has stayed stable across generations 👩‍🦰👨‍🦰👇

🧭 Excellent new contributions to the debate on the EU's geopolitical turn & enlargement in EU strategy @ecpr.bsky.social THE LOOP ◾Russia’s hybrid warfare on EU enlargement-Denis Cenusa 🔗 bit.ly/4cv26BV ◾EU enlargement: why citizens matter in shaping the debate - Giselle Bosse 🔗 bit.ly/42Cy4Zs

Romania upheld the law. So did France. But the story doesn’t end there.👇🏽

Romania’s cancelled election exposed NATO’s eastern cracks. Now Trump allies want US troops out, the Kremlin is celebrating, and trust in the West is eroding. #Democracy held, but the front line just got weaker. New #IAICommentary by @vanghel.bsky.social 👇https://www.iai.it/en/node/19832