Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · 5d

"We will spare no effort to make Europe an AI continent." I listened live to this bold promise from an upbeat Von der Leyen at Italian Tech Week.

Curious to see how the announced single set of rules allowing tech companies to scale up across the EU will develop.

VDL speech: shorturl.at/2V8Up

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

Nathalie Tocci @nathalietocci.bsky.social · 9d

La Flotilla ha ripreso il viaggio verso Gaza. Mettono a rischio la propria incolumità per fare ciò che governi e istituzioni avrebbero dovuto fare da tempo: esercitare ogni potere a loro disposizione affinché venga rispettato il diritto internazionale. Oggi su La Stampa

13 27

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

European University Institute @eui-eu.bsky.social · Sep 3

📣 On 11 September, join us for a keynote address with Teresa Ribera, the Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition of the European Commission.

⏰15:00 - 16:30 CEST
📌 Palazzo Buontalenti

For more information and registration👉 https://loom.ly/XnwOlWk

1 2

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · Aug 16

The moment participants took the brief, made it their own and confidently took the stage.

1

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

European University Institute @eui-eu.bsky.social · Jul 21

🔍 Elon Musk doesn’t need to launch the “America party”, he already owns the digital tools to mobilise millions. Is this the future of politics, or its privatisation?

Read more in this @financialtimes.com op-ed by @eui-history.bsky.social Prof. Nicolas Guilhot‬ 👇
loom.ly/P5DTd_0

Big Tech can beat political parties at their own game

Elon Musk does not need to launch the “America party” — he already owns the tools to herd individuals into a critical mass

loom.ly

5 5

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences @eui-sps.bsky.social · Jul 16

🎉 Congrats to @jonadejong.bsky.social for winning the 2025 Linz‑Rokkan Prize for the best EUI thesis in Political Sociology! His work sheds new light on how social networks shape divides and reduce partisan hostility. 👏

Read more 👉 www.eui.eu/news-hub?id=...

Jona de Jong awarded 2025 Linz Rokkan Prize

This years Linz Rokkan Prize for the Best EUI Doctoral Thesis in Political Sociology was awarded to Jona de Jong during the EUI Degree Conferring Ceremony on

www.eui.eu

2 4 19

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · Jul 10

"When the noise is constant, clarity becomes radical."

@catherinedevries.bsky.social with some honest and clear advice about leaving the academic comfort zone.

(And 👍 on Orwell: I've always got his 24 little pages of writing wisdom on my desk as a reminder)

Catherine E. de Vries @catherinedevries.bsky.social · Jul 9

George Orwell warned: bad writing leads to bad thinking.

Academia trains us to write for journals, not the public.
Clarity feels risky, because it exposes us.

But clear communication is essential for democracy.
So how do we do it?

🧵

New post 👉 catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/why-clarit...

Why Clarity Feels Dangerous (Especially If You’re an Academic)

The Hardest Work in Writing Is Saying What You Really Mean

catherineeunicedevries.substack.com

1 1 3

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · Jul 3

We presented our new Secretary General,Armando Barucco, to the press yesterday.

The Florentine @theflorentine.bsky.social · Jul 2

Former diplomat Armando Barucco, new Secretary General of the European University Institute, will aim to strengthen ties between the research institute and the city of Florence.

Armando Barucco appointed Secretary General of the European University Institute | The Florentine

The former diplomat with a decades-long career will aim to strengthen ties between the research institute and the city of Florence.

www.theflorentine.net

1

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · Jun 27

On my way back from Budva after a hands-on session on public speaking and interviews with civil servants from the Western Balkans.

I return energised, thanks to an excellent group and the realisation that we all can make great progress through practice.

@eui-eu.bsky.social @eui-stg.bsky.social

1 2

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

Herman van de Werfhorst 🟥 @hermwerf.bsky.social · Jun 10

My new post. How current political science replicated my PhD thesis of 25 years ago. And took it further, in a paper in the @apsrjournal.bsky.social and other work, by @liesbethooghe.bsky.social, Gary Marks and @jonnekamphorst.bsky.social.

open.substack.com/pub/hermwerf...

Field of study as a political cleavage

From my 25 year old PhD thesis to today's political science

open.substack.com

3 7 29

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

European University Institute @eui-eu.bsky.social · Jun 5

Croatia is officially joining the EUI! 🎉

Today, the EUI's High Council voted unanimously to approve Croatia’s accession as the 24th member of the EUI. ✅🤝

This milestone further strengthens the EUI’s mission of fostering academic excellence and #EuropeanIntegration through #research and #education.

6 27

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · May 28

📺 Live now at the @eui-eu.bsky.social… a new episode of EUI Conversations on Didier Fassin’s latest book on #Gaza.

www.youtube.com/live/VCWvDrj...

#EUI Conversations | Moral abdication: how the world failed to stop the destruction of Gaza

YouTube video by EUI TV

www.youtube.com

1 1

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

European Research Council (ERC) @erc.europa.eu · May 22

📢 Now open for applications! The 2025 ERC Advanced Grant call for proposals. 📢

Are you an established Principal Investigator who needs long-term funding to pursue ground-breaking research?

The ERC Advanced Grant could be for you!

Apply by 28 August 2025 👉 buff.ly/f6FEXHk

🧵Thread 1/5 👇

1 12 31

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

European University Institute @eui-eu.bsky.social · May 22

🏘️Why is today’s housing crisis so hard to fix? Balthazar de Robiano @eui-sps.bsky.social points to 3 challenges:

🔑 Renters vs. owners
📈 Rising costs
🌍 Price gaps across regions

His research shows how these problems are political & why better housing policy starts w/ understanding them. #MyPhDPitch

2 3 2

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

European University Institute @eui-eu.bsky.social · May 16

The conference 'An academic dilemma?' has come to an end! 🎓

Scholars gathered to explore how academic institutions can be entangled in issues like human rights violations, environmental destruction & genocide, while also serving as spaces for resistance, critical thought & transformative action. 🗣️

1 4 10

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · May 12

🇧🇷 Brazil wins World Cup 2026

www.nytimes.com/athletic/633...

Carlo Ancelotti appointed as Brazil head coach, will start this month

The Italian will leave Real Madrid after their final La Liga game of the season against Real Sociedad.

www.nytimes.com

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · May 8

President Antonio Costa this morning at the European University Institute 👇

António Costa @eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu · May 8

The EU has been a response to one core question: How can we make peace last?

The answer: political reconciliation, deeper cooperation, close economic interdependence, and a shared identity built not on uniformity, but on unity in diversity.

@eui-eu.bsky.social

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

European University Institute @eui-eu.bsky.social · May 8

This morning, we had the honour of welcoming António Costa, President of the European Council, to the EUI for a thought-provoking speech on #peace and #security in an era of geopolitical uncertainty. 🌐

1 2 1

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · May 5

👏 "Europe will always choose science and Europe will always make the case for the world's scientists to choose Europe."

(From the full speech: www.linkedin.com/video/live/u...)

European Commission @ec.europa.eu · May 5

"Science is an investment.

We will put forward a new 500 million package for 2025-2027 to support the best and the brightest researchers and scientists from Europe and around the world."

— President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu at the ‘Choose Europe for Science' event at La Sorbonne 🇫🇷

1 2

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · Apr 30

Trump tariffs, diversity, but also vampirism and science...

The monthly newsletter produced by our Research Communications Team offers a snapshot of the outstanding work around the @eui-eu.bsky.social.

🔎 Have a look: eui.short.gy/NewsletterAp...

✒️ Subscribe: eui.short.gy/SubscribeHere

1 1

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · Apr 29

The 🇪🇸🇵🇹 blackout is making the headlines.

Our Florence School of Regulation colleagues explain what an electricity blackout is and how it can be resolved. They will updates as the situation in Spain and Portugal evolves.

fsr.eui.eu/blackout-hit... @fsr-eui.bsky.social

Blackout hits Spain and Portugal: what happened and what's next - Florence School of Regulation

Around noon on April 28, 2025, a major blackout struck the Iberian Peninsula. The cause is still unknown. In this article, we explain what an electricity blackout is, how it can be resolved, and provi...

fsr.eui.eu

1 3

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

European University Institute @eui-eu.bsky.social · Apr 16

📆 On 8 May, the EUI hosts European Council President, António Costa who will deliver a speech on Europe's security amidst growing geopolitical turmoil.

Marking the end of WWII & just one day before #EuropeDay, the event contributes to decentralising debates on #peace & #security.

👉 loom.ly/BavFQDM

3 6

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · Apr 7

Trump has done the same damage to our health, environment and security as to our markets, it's just that there isn't a stock ticker that measures the impact so clearly

98 1.5K 5.4K

Reposted by Roeland Scholtalbers

Herman van de Werfhorst 🟥 @hermwerf.bsky.social · Apr 5

Nico Wilterdink has died. He was a classical member of the Amsterdam School of sociology. Historically oriented, strongly influenced by Elias. He was a very friendly colleague at @fmg-uva.bsky.social. He looked back with fond memories to the @eui-eu.bsky.social where he had been a visiting fellow.

2 2 5

Roeland Scholtalbers @rscholtalbers.bsky.social · Apr 5

Seems about the right Saturday to take Madeleine Albright’s “Fascism - a warning” off the shelf.

Book page with the text

“Every age has its own Facism” Primo Levi

1