📅 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

Extremely happy to see our latest mini-monograph on public demand for #EU polity building in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of #Ukraine. You can find it Open Access 🔓 here: www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Democracy is under pressure. As autocratic tactics take hold, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜? The 2025 EGPP Annual Conference gathers experts to examine authoritarian resilience, digital control, and global governance challenges. Learn more and register now 🔗 buff.ly/80xsRI7

🚨 Are you a Master's student/recent graduate from a country included in the #EUIWidening Europe Programme? 👉 loom.ly/5ytoTFM You are eligible for a 💰 fee waiver for our 🌐 online Summer School in Environmental History 17-19 Sept 2025 📅 Apply by 4 May 2025 👉 loom.ly/oIUq_Ls 📢 #SummerSchool

Question from Kyiv to thousands of colleagues around the world: WHO BOMBED ME HERE LAST NIGHT? Surely, it could not have been the Russians! Ukraine, you said, was waging a proxy war for the US against Russia. But that is clearly over now. Whose drones were trying to kill us? @ipsa.org

Yes, a crucial moment. Especially given active authoritarian learning. Today's moment had some prep work though. 1. Multiple court cases used to delegitimize İmamoğlu AND test public response 2. 150+ pro-Kurdish mayors replaced/jailed My co-authored explanation: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

This is also #EUI #teamspirit @eui-eu.bsky.social 😊

🚨 Misinformation is spiraling about Romania’s cancelled elections and the rejection of an extremist candidate—and shockingly, much of it is coming from U.S. allies. Here’s what you REALLY need to know: ✅ 1. No foreign meddling! Romanian authorities—not "Soros" or "USAID"—cancelled the elections.

The candidacy of extremist Calin Georgescu was not been approved by RO Electoral Authority. Expect the Constitution Court to uphold the decision. Some background info @BBC below. With or without Georgescu, his far-right agenda is here to stay. bit.ly/3Fcsioa

💥 New JEPP Collection 💥 The EU is in crisis! Sounds familiar? In this new JEPP collection, @vanghel.bsky.social and Berthold Rittberger bring together ten papers that explore how crises shape EU integration. Whether you're new to the literature or revisiting, it's a great starting point 👇

As always, the @euiss.bsky.social brief is accompanied by a graphic - showing the US forward presence in Europe (bases & troops), from Greenland to Turkiye.

"Faced with these risks, the EU has two choices: despair or act." Read the interactive commentary by @gspataf95.bsky.social & @vanghel.bsky.social for more on the key steps the EU must take to secure its future. 🔗 iss.europa.eu/publications...

What is the threat landscape for Europe? We have a great visual 'scrolling map' with the greatest threats in terms of likelihood and impact. Plus clear ideas by @vanghel.bsky.social and @gspataf95.bsky.social on what to do to counter them. Check it out below:

my latest scrollyteller #dataviz for the @euiss.bsky.social looks into the @eui-schuman.bsky.social Global Risks to the #EU survey. built with #d3js and @observablehq.com #plot

📌 Today, we’re in Brussels to launch the ‘𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗨’ 2025 survey results with 80+ policymakers, academics, and the press. Two expert panels are diving into the findings and exploring the next steps for the EU’s future. Download the report🔗 loom.ly/sieuWUQ #EUIinBxl #GlobalRisksEU2025

Unveiling the top risks for the EU in 2025 🌍 Join us & @eui-schuman.bsky.social for the launch of the Global Risks to the EU 2025 survey results! The 1st Europe-wide survey of experts' perceptions of conflict-related threats to EU interests. 📅 28 Jan - 9.30 📍 Live ℹ️ iss.europa.eu/activities/e...

🧭EU Enlargement debates for the @ecpr.bsky.social @ecprtheloop.bsky.social continue with @jdzankic.bsky.social @eui-schuman.bsky.social on *how* EU enlargement becomes a success. Here's to the journey, not just the destination! theloop.ecpr.eu/eu-enlargeme...

Not a lot of accts commenting on Eastern Europe on the list. I comment and share broadly, w a focus on Bulgaria and Ukraine. You can also add @dimitarbechev.bsky.social @martkuldkepp.bsky.social @vanghel.bsky.social @paulaerizanu.bsky.social . Lots more out there, these are my first thoughts

Happy (and exhausted) after the first in person meeting of @jeppjournal.bsky.social's new editorial team in Munich (with @twinzen.bsky.social, @vanghel.bsky.social, Asya Zhelyazkova, Martin Carstensen & Berthold Rittberger). Lots of (positive!) changes coming over the next few months...