The Influence of Lobby Groups on EU Military Operations

Despite lacking an army, the EU deploys thousands of personnel for its own military Common Security and
Defence Policy (CSDP) operations abroad. Academic work assumes that these decisions are taken at the highest political level, yet new research shows that unaccountable lobby groups influence EU decisions on CSDP operations. Erman Atak will focus on the first empirical findings on Operation “Sophia,” the largest, most expensive operation to date.