Key words:

European Union, CSDP, military operations, human rights, crisis management, peace operations

Abstract:

In the last 15 years, the European Union continuously developed its operational capabilities and increased its role as security player, having launched since 2003 more than twenty operations of various character, ranging from monitoring and humanitarian missions to large scale military operations. The goal of this contribution is to address human rights issues arising in the context of EU military deployments. As it will be shown, identification of applicable human rights norms, but also when and how human rights bind upon the Union when deploying troops outside the territory of its Member States, constitutes a complex issue and a significant challenge for the EU.