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Niklas Helwig is a Leading Researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He is also an Associate 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 co-leads an Academy of Finland-funded 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, 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, including Journal of Common Market Studies (JCMS) and Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft. He served as special issue editor 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 governments, 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

Associate 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
Transforming strategic cultures in contemporary Europe


Latest FIIA Publications

Expertise

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

Honorary title

Associate 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 & Wigell, Mikael (2023). Euroopan voima geoekonomiassa. Ydin : rauhanpoliittinen aikakauslehti, 15.12.

Helwig, Niklas (2023). Die Europäische Union und die USA. In Weidenfeld, Werner; Wessels, Wolfgang ed(s): Jahrbuch der Europäischen Integration. Nomos. 393-400.

Helwig, Niklas (2023). Europäischer Auswärtiger Dienst. In Weidenfeld, Werner; Wessels, Wolfgang; Tekin, Funda ed(s): Europa von A bis Z. Taschenbuch der europäischen Integration. Springer VS. 245-247.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.