Reinhold Brender

Biography

Dr. Reinhold Brender joined the Egmont Institute in November 2023 as a Senior Associate Fellow in the Europe in the World Programme. A former EU official, he brings extensive experience in the EU’s external action, with a focus on the European Neighbourhood, transatlantic relations, and the Indo-Pacific.

Over his EU career, he held various positions at the heart of EU external relations: in Brussels at EU headquarters; in Kosovo, as Spokesperson for the EU Pillar of the UN Mission; in Washington, D.C., as Political Counsellor at the European Commission Delegation; and in Cairo, as Deputy Head of the EU Delegation with the rank of Minister. From 2017 to 2022, he led the European External Action Service (EEAS) Division covering relations with Japan, South and North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Island States.

Before joining the EU institutions, Dr. Brender spent five years as a foreign affairs journalist with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a leading German daily newspaper. He studied history, political science, and Romance languages and literature in Freiburg im Breisgau, Zurich, Clermont-Ferrand, and Paris. He holds both an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg. His dissertation, a biography of Marcel Déat — a French socialist turned collaborator in the Second World War — was published as a book (Munich, 1992: link).

Other Publications

• "Guardians of the broken order" published in the International Politics and Society Journal, June 2025

Publications

• Europe’s Strategic Imperative: Advancing Sustainability for Global Stability Egmont papers (24-04-2025)
• Why the BRICS Summit in Kazan should be a Wake-up Call for the EU Security Policy Briefs (13-11-2024)
• The UN Pact for the Future: A Modest Boost for Global Governance Reform Commentaries (15-10-2024)
• Georgia at a Crossroads: An Increasingly Illiberal Domestic Policy is Becoming an Obstacle to EU Accession Security Policy Briefs (9-07-2024)
• Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarised World Commentaries (14-05-2024)
• In Danger of Falling Short: The EU, the Global South, and the Reform of Multilateralism Egmont papers (15-02-2024)
• No Fast Track to a Stable Rules-based International Order Commentaries (7-02-2024)
• Strengthening multilateralism in a multipolar world: On the contribution of this year’s G7 and G20 Summits and suggested next steps for the EU Security Policy Briefs (4-07-2023)