email:
niklas.helwig@fiia.fi
telephone:
+358 9 432 7746

Niklas Helwig is a Leading Researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He is also an Adjunct Professor in International Relations at Tampere University. His research focuses on EU foreign and security policy, German foreign and security policy, as well as EU-US relations. He currently leads an Academy of Finland-funded sub-project on “Transforming strategic cultures in contemporary Europe” (STRAX).

He worked at various think tanks in Europe and the US, including the RAND Corporation in Arlington VA, the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin and the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. He was a DAAD Fellow at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies in Washington D.C. in 2018.

Niklas has published extensively in peer-reviewed academic journals and served as editor of special issues of German Politics and European Foreign Affairs Review. He has written policy analyses for government and non-profit organisations including the US Army and Air Force, the Finnish and German Government, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. His journalistic articles appeared for example in Die Zeit, Internationale Politik und Gesellschaft, War on the Rocks and Euractiv.  

Niklas completed his PhD on the transformation of European foreign and security policy after the Lisbon treaty at the Universities of Cologne and Edinburgh. He holds a Master in Economics from the University of Cologne.

Honorary title

Adjunct professor, Tampere University

Expertise

EU foreign policy and defence cooperation, German foreign and defence policy, EU-US relations.

Degrees

PhD in Politics, Universities of Edinburgh and Cologne, 2014
Diploma in Economics (Master equivalent), University of Cologne, 2010

Language skills

English and German (working languages), Finnish (basic skills)

Projects

European Strategic Autonomy in a Geo-economic World
Development of EU’s Sanctions Policy: Political and economic implications for Finland
Europe facing great-power competition: Mapping Finland’s risks and options in the geoeconomic rivalry
Multilateral cooperation in an era of strategic competition: Options for influence for Finland and the European Union


Latest FIIA Publications

Expertise

EU foreign policy and defence cooperation, German foreign and defence policy, EU-US relations.

Honorary title

Adjunct professor, Tampere University

Work experience

Adjunct Researcher and Visiting Research Fellow, RAND Corporation, Washington DC, 2018-2019
Research Fellow, American Institute for Contemporary Germany Studies (AICGS), SAIS – Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, 2018
Visiting Research Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin, 2017-2018
Visiting Research Fellow, Center for Transatlantic Relations, SAIS – Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, 2016-2017
Senior Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Helsinki, 2014-2016
Tutor and co-lecturer for “The EU as a global actor” (B.A. Honours), University of Edinburgh, 2013
Researcher and Marie Curie Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Brussels, 2011-2012
Researcher and Marie Curie Fellow, Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels, 2011
Student Assistant, Jean-Monnet-Chair for European Politics, University of Cologne, 2007-2010

Academic awards
DAAD/AICGS Fellowship, 2018
TAPIR Fellowship (Transatlantic Post-Doc in International Relations and Security), 2016-2018
Marie Curie Fellowship, 2010-2013

Degrees

PhD in Politics, Universities of Edinburgh and Cologne, 2014
Diploma in Economics (Master equivalent), University of Cologne, 2010

Language skills

English and German (working languages), Finnish (basic skills)

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Helwig, Niklas (2023). "Don't stop believin'": Germany's turn from reflexive to strategic multilateralism. In Egan, Michelle; Raube, Kolja; Wouters, Jan; Chaisse, Julien ed(s): Contestation and Polarization in Global Governance. Edward Elgar. 196-212.

Europe Germany Multilateralism A Peer-reviewed scientific articles

Helwig, Niklas (2022). Die Europäische Union und die USA. In Werner Weidenfeld, Wolfgang Wessels ed(s): Jahrbuch der Europäischen Integration 2022. Baden-Baden: Nomos. 381-386.

European Union D Publications intended for professional communities

Siddi, Marco; Helwig, Niklas; Grimm, Sven & Reiners, Wulf (2021). Leadership and Partnerships for the European Green Deal: EU relations with (re)emerging economies’. L'Europe en Formation, 393 (2):40-63.

Climate governance Energy EU's external relations A Peer-reviewed scientific articles

Helwig, Niklas (2022). The EU as a Global Actor. In Kenealy, Daniel; Hadfield, Amelia; Corbett, Richard; Peterson, John ed(s): The European Union: How does it work? Oxford University Press. 187-210.

EU's external relations European Union D Publications intended for professional communities

Mazarr, Michael J.; Blank, Jonah; Charap, Samuel; Harris, Benjamin N.; Heath, Timothy R.; Helwig, Niklas ; Hornung, Jeffrey; Morris, Lyle J.; Rhoades, Ashley L.; Tabatabai, Ariane M. & Zeigler, Sean M. (2022). Understanding the Emerging Era of International Competition Through the Eyes of Others. RAND Corporation.

Geoeconomics Germany Global governance Multilateralism Security and Defence Policy United States C Scientific books (monographs)

Helwig, Niklas (2022). Gemeinsame Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik. In Weidenfeld, Werner, Wessels, Wolfgang & Tekin, Funda ed(s): Europa von A-Z. Wiesbaden: Springer VS. First Online 17 March 2022.

EU's external relations D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas (2021). Die Europäische Union und die USA. In Weidenfeld, Werner & Wessels, Wolfgang ed(s): Jahrbuch der Europäischen Integration 2021. 369-374.

European Union United States D Publications intended for professional communities

Iso-Markku, Tuomas & Helwig, Niklas (2021). Finland and European Strategic Autonomy: ‘Yes, but…’. In Lewander, Jakob ed(s): Strategic Autonomy – Views from the North. Tukholma: Swedish Institute for European policy studies SIEPS. 28-47.

European Union Finnish foreign policy Security and Defence Policy D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas & Iso-Markku, Tuomas (2021). Merkelin perintö. Ulkopolitiikka, 58 (3):39-42.

Germany D Publications intended for professional communities

Grimm, Sven; Reiners, Wulf; Helwig, Niklas; Siddi, Marco & Mourier, Louis (2021). The global dimension of the European Green Deal: The EU as a green leader? The Multinational Development Policy Dialogue - KAS in Brussels. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Multinational Development Dialogue.

Climate governance Energy EU's external relations European Union D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas (2020). Die EU und die USA. In Werner Weidenfeld, Wolfgang Wessels ed(s): Jahrbuch der Europäischen Integration 2020. Baden Baden: Nomos. 385 - 390.

European Union United States D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas (2020). Strengthening the EU's role in a postCOVID world. In Pirozzi, Nicoletta; Tekin, Funda; Toygürm, Ilke ed(s): TEPSA Pre-Presidency recommendations . Brussels: TEPSA Trans European Policy Studies Association. 6.

Covid-19 European Union D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas & Paulus, Alexandra (2020). Preparing for the unknown. University of Bonn.

Europe European Union Nato Security and Defence Policy D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas (2019). Die Europäische Union und die USA. In Weidenfeld, Werner; Wessels, Wolfgang ed(s): Jahrbuch der Europäischen Integration 2019. Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlag. 347-352.

European Union United States D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas (2019). Europäischer Auswärtiger Dienst. In Weidenfeld, Werner; Wessels, Wolfgang; Tekin, Funda ed(s): Europa von A bis Z. Wiesbaden: Springer.

EU's external relations European Union D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas & Puglierin, Jana (2019). Europe's geo-economic commission. Berlin Policy Journal, 7.10.

EU's external relations European Union Geoeconomics E Publications intended for the general public

Helwig, Niklas & Tannous, Isabelle (2015). Gemeinsame Aussen- und Sicherheitspolitik. In Weidenfeld, Werner; Wessels, Wolfgang ed(s): Jahrbuch der europäischen Integration 2015. Baden-Baden: Nomos. 287-294.

European Union D Publications intended for professional communities

Helwig, Niklas (2014). The legitimacy of the EEAS. In Doris Dialer; Heinrich Neisser ed(s): The EU's External Action Service. Potentials for a one voice Foreign Policy. Innsbruck: Universität Innsbruck.

A Peer-reviewed scientific articles