Areas of Expertise

  • EU and NATO enlargement 
  • Peace and conflict research
  • Human rights and national minorities
  • Western Balkans and post-Soviet conflict areas
  • Migration, asylum, and refugee issues (EU)

Short Bio

Nikola Xaviereff is the project manager for the Western Balkans in DGAP’s Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. Previously, he worked for the Democracy and Human Dignity Division of the Council of Europe and for the OSCE’s High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) in The Hague. He also completed a traineeship at the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and has conducted research in Georgia and Kosovo. In Germany, he worked in the Bundestag and supported Ukrainian refugees in Berlin. 

Xaviereff holds a MSc in international affairs from KU Leuven and an MSc in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics. He is a TILN-Fellow of the German Marshall Fund. In his free time, he plays cello.

Languages

English, German, Russian, Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian

 

[Last updated: September 2024]

Nikola Xaviereff

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Expertise

Publications

Montenegro President Jakov Milatovic (L) meets with EU Council President Antonio Costa (R) in Brussels, Belgium on October 16, 2025

EU Enlargement in Transition

Montenegro at the Frontline
Nikola Xaviereff
If Ukraine has restored urgency to enlargement, Montenegro will determine whether the European Union can still turn strategy into action.
External Publications
Flags of the EU fly outside EU headquarters in Brussels on December 19, 2025

Europe’s Next Enlargement

What Berlin, Paris, and The Hague Really Think
Milan Nič
Sébastien Maillard
Wouter Zweers
et al.
Perspectives on enlargement in three key member states and recommendations on how to move forward
Policy Brief
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hold a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany December 15, 2025.

On EU Enlargement, Germany Is Starting to Move

purchasable

The question of how to facilitate a membership of sorts for Ukraine means that the debate about EU enlargement is fast approaching a critical phase. Berlin is starting to become more flexible.

Milan Nič
Nikola Xaviereff
IPQ
Ursula von der Leyen - Edi Rama meeting in Albania

Albania’s EU Accession Sprint

Balancing Momentum, Reform, and EU Scrutiny
Milan Nič
Nikola Xaviereff
Albania has emerged as one of the most rapidly advancing EU candidate countries, having opened all negotiation clusters and aiming to complete talks by 2027. Its progress is driven by strong geopolitical alignment, broad public support, and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s active engagement with EU leaders. Yet rapid advancement masks notable challenges.
External Publications
SNSD members paid tribute to Charlie Kirk Some officials of the Republika Srpska

Republika Srpska Secession Stalls

Snap Elections and the US Policy Reshape Towards Bosnia
Nikola Xaviereff
The Republika Srpska presidency elections will entrench the status quo as Bosnia enters a post-Dodik phase with secession on hold. Yet unpredictable U.S. policymaking signals renewed turbulence for Bosnia and the wider region.
Externe Publikationen

In the media