Education
He studied history and philosophy at the University of Groningen and the Centre Raymond Aron of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
He studied history and philosophy at the University of Groningen and the Centre Raymond Aron of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
In 1999 his masters thesis (doctoraalscriptie in Dutch) "Politicide" was published. He became for a time the political adviser and speechwriter of Frits Bolkestein and Jozias van Aartsen. From August 2008 to December 2009 he had a political column in National Research Council Handelsblad.
In 2009 he got his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Amsterdam.
Subject of his doctoral thesis was the origins and development of the European Union. In December 2012 he was awarded the European Book Prize for The passage to Europe - History of a Beginning.
Since December 2009 Van Middelaar is member of the cabinet of Herman Van Rompuy, the first President of the European Council.