ECFR’s research conducted through its team of researchers in the EU member states lends a uniquely pan-European perspective to some of the biggest strategic issues and choices Europeans need to confront. Since its inception in 2010 the network has contributed to ECFR flagship reports on European foreign and security policy, the EU27’s relations vis-à-vis global partners, as well as the internal governance and cohesion of the European Union.
The research is conducted individually and involves in-person and telephone interviews as well as desktop research such as analyzing government publications, speeches, official announcements, opinion polls, etc. Four to six research assignments are run per year. Each is guided by a specific questionnaire, developed by ECFR, that includes the questions and topics relevant for a given project.
Key to the role of Associate Researcher is the ability to work independently and acquire information first-hand from policy makers and experts on changing topics related to EU policy and European external affairs. ECFR Associate Researchers share a solid understanding of European (foreign) policy processes, institutions, and are familiar with navigating their national policy communities. Their work contributes background information and gives relevant context for drafting ECFR reports on each research topic.
ECFR’s pan-European research through its team of Associates relies on trust and confidentiality. Personal information or the identity of interviewees are neither disclosed to the public nor any third party as part of the research or the ECFR publications that are based on it.
Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES)
Jul 2018 — present
Sofia Maria Satanakis is responsible for scientific outreach at the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Quantum Optics and Quan...
UCLouvain
Dec 2021 — present
Vincent Gabriel is historian and teaching assistant at the Catholic University of Louvain, where he lectures in geopolitics. His resear...
Open Society Institute
Sep 2007 — present
Marin Lessenski is Program Director of the European Policies Program of the Open Society Institute – Sofia (OSIS). He holds an MA in So...
Spitzberg Partners LLC
Jan 2015 — present
Robin-Ivan Capar is a communications professional, consultant, and policy analyst based in Norway and Croatia. He currently leads commu...
Global Policies Centre
Oct 2014 — present
Hüseyin Silman is the president of the Turkish-Cypriot think-tank Global Policies Centre. He also serves as project manager at Cyprus P...
EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy
Vladimír Bartovic is the director of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in Prague. In 2014, he was appointed as an external advisor...
Think Tank Europe
Christine Nissen is a Chief Analyst at Think Tank Europe in Copenhagen, specializing in EU security and defense policy, European securi...
Baltic Defence College
Jun 2013 — present
Dr. Viljar Veebel is a researcher at the Department of Political and Strategic Studies at the Baltic Defence College. The expertise of ...
Finnish Institute of International Affairs
Jan 2016 — present
Tuomas Iso-Markku is a Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. His research interests include the EU’...
German Marshall Fund of the United States (Paris) & King’s College London
Dec 2021 — present
Gesine Weber works as program coordinator at the Paris Office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and is conducting doctor...
Planpolitik GbR
Mar 2023 — present
Stephan Naumann works as a officer on EU political education at planpolitik GbR in Berlin, where he is responsible for project manageme...
Democritus University of Thrace
Oct 2010 — present
Dr George N. Tzogopoulos is Lecturer (core faculty) at the European Institute of Nice (Cife) and at the Democritus University of Thrace...
European University Viadrina
Sep 2011 — present
Zsuzsanna Végh is a program officer at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Her analytical focus is on Central and Eastern Eu...
European Parliament
Jul 2022 — present
Areas of expertise
Transatlantic Relationship, EU Digital Policy, EU Politics and Institutions
Policy Fellow, ECFR
Jan 2023 — present
Areas of expertise
Infrastructures, trade, energy, European Union
Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA)
May 2020 — present
Aleksandra Palkova is a researcher at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs and a senior laboratory assistant at Riga Stradins...
Eastern Europe Studies Center
Aug 2019 — present
Justinas Mickus is a policy analyst at the Lithuanian Government’s Strategic Analysis Center (STRATA) and an associate analyst at the E...
University of Luxembourg
Feb 2022 — present
Tara Lipovina is a doctoral candidate in social sciences at the University of Luxembourg. She researches gender coherence in developmen...
Independent Global Policy Researcher
Jan 2014 — present
Daniel Mainwaring is an independent foreign policy consultant based in Malta. He holds an MA in global policy studies from the Lyndon B...
Leiden University
Oct 2015 — present
Niels van Willigen is an associate professor of international relations in the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University. His...
College of Eastern Europe
Adam Balcer is programme director at the College of Eastern Europe in Wrocław and lectures at the Centre for East European Studies at t...
Catholic University of Portugal
Jun 2010 — present
Lívia Franco is Associate Professor and Senior Researcher at the Institute for Political Studies at the Catholic University of Portugal...
GlobalFocus Centre
Nov 2021 — present
Oana Popescu-Zamfir is the director and founder of GlobalFocus Center, an independent foreign policy and security think-tank based in B...
Institute of European Studies and International Relations, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava
Jan 2019 — present
Matej Navrátil is a researcher fellow and associate professor at Institute of European Studies and International Relations, Comenius Un...
University of Ljubljana
Jan 2016 — present
Marko Lovec is a research fellow and associate professor of international relations at the University of Ljubljana, faculty of social s...
Independent Political Analyst
Dec 2020 — present
Astrid Portero is an independent political and international relations analyst. She holds a BA in political science from Universidad Co...
Swedish Institute for International Affairs
Oct 2022 — present
Amna Handzic is a programme manager of the Europe Programme at the Swedish Institute for International Affairs....
King’s College London
Jun 2018 — present
Euan Carss is an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded PhD Candidate at King’s College London. He holds an MA (Hons) in In...
ECFR’s 2024 Energy Sovereignty Index shows both progress and persistent pitfalls on the EU’s path to energy independence, efficiency, and cleanness. While gains in renewable energy and efficiency are notable, the bloc’s heavy reliance on energy imports is a critical vulnerability
Like the titular character in the movie “Barbie”, the EU is prone to regarding itself as more perfect than it really is. This year’s European Sentiment Compass lays bare the EU’s blind spots – and explains why ignoring them could have long-term repercussions for democracy inside the bloc
The EU cannot afford to stay divided on its green industrial policy. Instead, the next European Commission should spearhead a common and credible approach to ensure the bloc catches the next green technology wave