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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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
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Turning the EU into a Life Insurance Policy
German European Policy in Times of Upheaval
SWP Comment 2025/C 24, 27.05.2025, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2025C24
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Third-State Participation in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy
Opportunities and Conditions for the United Kingdom
Research Division EU/Europe, Working Paper Nr. 02/2025, February 2025, 28 Pages -
Divided But Dangerous: The Fragmented Far-right’s Push for Power in the EU after the 2024 Elections
SWP Comment 2024/C 44, 01.10.2024, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2024C44
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The UK and the EU: New Opportunities, Old Obstacles
Prospects for UK-EU Cooperation in Foreign and Security Policy after the UK Elections
SWP Comment 2024/C 27, 05.07.2024, 7 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2024C27
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The State of Consensus in the EU
What Is the Way Forward in the Debate about Expanding Qualified Majority Decisions?
SWP Comment 2024/C 16, 19.04.2024, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2024C16
External publications
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A tale of three partnerships
in: UK in a Changing Europe, 06.08.2025 -
Europe’s humiliation is a comms strategy – and that’s the problem
Ostentatious humiliation may bring Europe some breathing space in the short term. But that will be worthles unless we effectively and jointly reduce dependency on the US.
in: Euractiv.com, 05.08.2025 -
A Fluid Parliament: Changes in the Composition of EP Political Groups Ahead and After the 2024 Elections
in: Michael Kaeding, Manuel Müller, Alexander Hoppe (eds), The 2024 European Parliament Elections. The Future of Europe, pp 37–46, Springer Cham, July 2025doi:10.1007/978-3-031-89455-8_4
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Why parliamentary links are essential for the UK-German friendship treaty
in: UK in a Changing Europe, 10.07.2025 -
To upgrade the UK-German relationship, we need ambitious parliamentary links
in: The House, 07.07.2025 -
The Starmer Government and Europe - Germany
in: The Starmer Government and Europe: Resetting relations in turbulent times, Hussein Kassim and Kirsty Warner (eds.), University of Warwick, May 2025, p. 30-32