Dr. Nicolai von Ondarza
EU/Europe Head of Research Division
Areas of Expertise
- United Kingdom
- Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)
- EU institutions
- European Union
- Political system of the European Union
- Principles of European integration
EU institutions and political system, european political parties and democratic legitimation of the EU, post-Brexit relations between the EU and the United Kingdom
ProjectsShort Curriculum Vitae
Since 2010 at SWP, since 2020 Head of EU/Europe Research Division, 2016–2020 Deputy Head
Since 2025 Associate Fellow in the Chatham House Europe Programme
Since 2013 Organiser of the British-German Outlook Group, a yearly exchange between the SWP, Chatham House, the Federal Foreign Office and the FCO
2012–2015 Lecturer at Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt Oder and since 2016 Lecturer in the Postgraduate Master of European Studies, FU/TU Berlin
2012–2014 Research associate in the project EU security agencies, Fritz-Thyssen-Stiftung scholarship
2011–2012 Researcher at the Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt Oder
2008–2009 Research Associate at the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences within the research division Multinationality/European Armed Forces
SWP Publications
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The new E6 format: The EU between unity and fragmentation
In the face of mounting geopolitical pressure, the EU is seeking to regain its capacity to act by bringing together its six largest economies. Can the E6 group genuinely generate political traction within the Union without jeopardising the balance between European unity and operational effectiveness? In which policy areas could this format deliver substantial added value?
360 degrees, 24.04.2026 -
EU Enlargement: Ukraine as a Special Case – the Western Balkans as the Norm
Anchoring Kyiv in the EU through a New Type of Accession Association
SWP Comment 2026/C 17, 20.04.2026, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2026C17
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Coalitions Everywhere – Leadership Nowhere? Europe’s Defence in a Proliferation of Flexible Formats
in: With, Without, Against Washington: Redefining Europe’s Relations With the United StatesContribution to a Research Paper 2026/RP 05, 27.03.2026, 81 Pages, pp. 17–20
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United Kingdom: Strong Supporter of Ukraine and Leader on European Security Outside the EU
in: The Tipping Point: An Emerging Model of European Security with Ukraine and without RussiaContribution to a Research Paper 2025/RP 05, 06.11.2025, 96 Pages, pp. 30–35
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The Creeping Integration of Far-right Parties in Europe
Where Far-right Parties Are Integrated into the EU System and Where They Are Not
SWP Comment 2025/C 39, 19.09.2025, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2025C39
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Contours of an EU Partnership and Alliance Strategy
How Europe Plans to Strengthen Its Security with Partners beyond the United States
SWP Comment 2025/C 29, 23.06.2025, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2025C29
External publications
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A matter of core state power: The intergovernmental sphere of EU defence policy-making
in: Who calls the shots? Institutional and political dynamics in European defence, Göran von Sydow & Valentin Kreilinger (eds), Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, Report No. 1op, April 2026, pp. 65 -
Taking the Pulse: Is the EU Ready for Rapprochement With the UK?
Edited by Rym Momtaz, Commentary in: Carnegie Europe, 23.04.2026 -
European Politics in Crisis Management
in: Michèle Knodt, Natalia Chaban, Oriol Costa & Patrick Müller (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of European Union Politics, April 2026doi:10.4324/9781003488736
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After SAFE: Consequences for EU-UK defence industrial cooperation and potential ways forward
in: UK in a Changing Europe, 18.2.2026 -
Taking the Pulse: Can the EU Attract Foreign Investment and Reduce Dependencies?
Commentary in: Carnegie Europe, Edited by Rym Momtaz, 12.02.2026 -
Shifting to a Common European Defense
in: »Ideas, Please!«, Internationale Politik Quarterly, 07.01.2026