ABSTRACT
The Civilian Response Team (CRT) of the European Union (EU) came into being in 2005 with the establishment of a pool of about 100 experts by the European Council, upon nomination by EU member states. This chapter discusses the CRT concept and the developments since its introduction in 2005, with particular emphasis on the possible contributions of CRT experts to human rights protection. After a first review of the CRT concept, this contribution will then give insight into the selection procedure of the expert pool in 2005, the training of experts in 2006 and the utilisation of the pool in crisis operations ever since. The contribution will conclude that the implementation of CRT has been limited despite its potential and it will deliver some remarks on possible reinforcement on the conceptual as well as on the operational level.
