Senior Policy Fellow
German foreign and defence policy; technology and geopolitics; UAVs/drones; artificial intelligence; military technology
French, English, German
Dr. Ulrike Franke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). She leads ECFR’s Technology and European Power initiative. Her areas of focus include German and European security and defence, the future of warfare, and the impact of new technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence on geopolitics and warfare.
Franke has published widely on these and other topics, among others in Die Zeit, FAZ, RUSI Whitehall Papers, Comparative Strategy, War on the Rocks, Zeitschrift für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, and regularly appears as commentator in the media. She co-hosts the Sicherheitshalber Podcast, a German-language podcast on security and defence.
She holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Oxford – in her PhD thesis, she studied the use of drones by western armed forces. She also holds a BA from Sciences Po Paris and a double summa cum laude MA degree from Sciences Po Paris (Affaires internationales/Sécurité internationale) and the University of St. Gallen (International Affairs and Governance).
Franke is a policy affiliate at the Governance of AI project at Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute. She was also part of UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counterterrorism Ben Emmerson’s research team, examining drone use in counterterrorism contexts. Prior to this she worked as a part-time research assistant at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.
The UK will have to decide how involved it wants to be in EU defence efforts. It seems likely that the country’s aim will be to have flexible structures that allow it to plug into European foreign and defence policy where doing so is in its interests.
European cohesion is bouncing back after crisis years. The EU Cohesion Monitor presents new insights on cohesion as an underestimated source of strength and collective action in the EU.
France and Germany have different priorities, but both partners come to the same conclusion: Europe must do more
This could be the moment to build a more balanced transatlantic relationship, with Europeans showing the US where we need it to engage, and how – rather than simply waiting for cues from Washington
A discussion workshop on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on geopolitics and warfare, and how Europe and the US can work together for everyone’s benefit
The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the EU’s conception of order and exposed a gap between European aspirations and actions. Firstly, Europeans are confronted with the…
In this week’s episode, we feature one of the focus sessions from our Annual Council Meeting this June. Policy Fellow Ulrike Franke moderated this online…
In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard presents the new and third edition of ECFR´s Coalition explorer, which also included special questions regarding the impact of…
It is ill-advised for Germany to be complacent on common European defence – especially at a moment when the country holds the presidency of the Council of the EU
Just as they have on the economic recovery, Berlin and Paris must overcome their differences and present a courageous plan to create a Europe that takes decisive geopolitical action
Russia’s war on Ukraine has featured many of the technological advances the world has made over the past decades. If Europeans are serious about their defence capabilities, they need to learn from this use of emerging technology on both sides of the war
New technologies are a significant force shaping international relations. If the EU wants to be more than a mediator between the US and China, it will need to change its mindset.
The EU’s work on its Strategic Compass should include debates on the special status states’ future role in European defence
Artificial intelligence is a rapidly advancing field that policymakers everywhere are struggling to keep up with
The EU cannot continue to rely on its regulatory power but must become a tech superpower in its own right. Referees do not win the game.
The EU Coalition Explorer survey reveals the importance of Germany and France within the EU, and the impact they can have when they cooperate with each other
Failing to coordinate properly in the AI area could threaten future European defence cooperation, including PESCO and the European Defence
The EU appears to be largely uninterested in AI’s geopolitical importance, but its member states can only influence the global development of AI if they act tog
If Europe does not address these difficult questions soon it will find itself surrounded by more powerful rivals deploying AI against it
Polls and interviews conducted for the paper indicate that German millennials are surprisingly conservative and liable to status quo bias
The Ukrainian battlespace features the most intensive use of drones in a military conflict in history, marking a shift in warfare tactics and technology
Germany’s first ever national security strategy contained few big surprises – but the country’s NATO partners can still draw three key lessons from the document
The parties in Germany’s next coalition government could find it hard to bridge their differences on foreign and defence policy
Hand-wringing over Europe’s supposed failure to step up in Afghanistan ignores the fact that Europeans were principally there to support the US
Technological change is already having far-reaching effects on the international balance of power. If the EU is to become a true geopolitical actor, it cannot shy away from these challenges
The election of a new CDU party leader last weekend might be the first step towards a novel Black-Green coalition government – whose defence policy could be surprisingly visionary, if the parties are willing to work together
The UK will have to decide how involved it wants to be in EU defence efforts. It seems likely that the country’s aim will be to have flexible structures that allow it to plug into European foreign and defence policy where doing so is in its interests.
France and Germany have different priorities, but both partners come to the same conclusion: Europe must do more
This could be the moment to build a more balanced transatlantic relationship, with Europeans showing the US where we need it to engage, and how – rather than simply waiting for cues from Washington
It is ill-advised for Germany to be complacent on common European defence – especially at a moment when the country holds the presidency of the Council of the EU
The EU can overcome the new challenges it faces and can shape the global order. To achieve this, Europeans will need to improve their joint capacity to act.
European cohesion is bouncing back after crisis years. The EU Cohesion Monitor presents new insights on cohesion as an underestimated source of strength and collective action in the EU.
The Coalition Explorer illustrates the expert opinions of more than 800 respondents who work on European policy and creates a visual understanding of the views held by Europe’s professional political class
The European Solidarity Tracker collects and displays instances of pan-European solidarity throughout the coronavirus crisis
To fulfil its true potential, the EU needs to end its strategic cacophony and focus on capability building
Great power competition is increasingly shaping Europeans’ security environment, while other security threats are also on the rise, from terrorism and cyber attacks to climate change
Edited by Ulrike Esther Franke, Manuel Lafont Rapnouil & Susi Dennison
Mark Leonard reports live from the Munich Security Conference
What are the necessary steps the new German government needs to take to advance and support European tech sovereignty?
How would a chancellor Armin Laschet approach foreign policy questions on China, Russia, and defence?
The EU is often described as a “regulatory superpower” benefitting from the so-called “Brussels effect.” But is the bloc also able to set its own rules and standards when it comes to new technologies?
The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the EU’s conception of order and exposed a gap between European aspirations and actions. Firstly, Europeans are confronted with the…
In this week’s episode, we feature one of the focus sessions from our Annual Council Meeting this June. Policy Fellow Ulrike Franke moderated this online…
In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard presents the new and third edition of ECFR´s Coalition explorer, which also included special questions regarding the impact of…
Word on the street seems to suggest that technology will be the way out of the coronavirus crisis and the lockdowns in many European countries. This…
The annual Munich Security Conference was themed “Westlessness”, defining “a widespread feeling of uneasiness and restlessness in the face of increasing uncertainty about the enduring purpose…
In this episode of ECFR’s special summer series on European strategic sovereignty, Mark Leonard talks to Ulrike Franke, ECFR Policy Fellow, about artificial intelligence (AI). Mark…
This event is part of the German Forum on Security Policy, organised by the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS).
Deutsch-französische Debatte zu Rüstungskooperation im Kontext strategischer Autonomie | Un évènement franco-allemand dans le domaine de l’industrie de défense, pour la construction d’une autonomie stratégique
Der Checkpoint EXTRA findet als Kooperation zwischen der bpb und dem Berliner Büro des European Council on Foreign Relations statt
First part of a series jointly organised by the European Movement International and ECFR exploring the challenges the European Union is facing
An Oxford-style debate in cooperation with Intelligence² Germany
A discussion workshop on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on geopolitics and warfare, and how Europe and the US can work together for everyone’s benefit
Ulrike Franke on a common European army
Ulrike Franke on the use of drones in the war in Ukraine
In this interview, Ulrike Franke explains three reasons that speak against a European army
As much as 100 Billion sounds, there are voices saying we need double or triple that to fight the underinvestment
Ulrike Franke discusses how important Germany’s armed forces are for European security
Ulrike Franke on von der Leyen’s geopolitical Commission’s role in steering foreign policy on Israel and Palestine
