In recent years the EU has organised EOMs in a large number of countries, including:

Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Togo, Tanzania, Guyana, Zimbabwe, Peru, Nicaragua, Ivory Coast, Palestine, Indonesia, Bangladesh, East Timor, Suriname, Cambodia, South Africa, the Russian Federation, Pakistan, Madagascar, Equador.

The observation mission assesses the registration of candidates, the campaign and the preparations for election day, as well as making an assessment of the electoral framework, the democratic and human rights environment and conducting a monitoring of the media during the campaign. Regular meetings are held with election officials at the national, regional and local levels, and political parties, candidates, civil society and media throughout the country.

The deployment of EU observers has two specific objectives:

- To produce an informed statement on the organisation and conduct of the election and the electoral machinery, including recommendations for improvements in the process for future elections on the basis of data collected during the observation of the electoral process, including the campaign period, the polling and counting process, and immediate post-election events;

-To contribute, by its very presence, to reducing the possibility of electoral frauds and illegal procedures that could invalidate the electoral process and de-legitimise it in the view of the population, as well as increase friction between political parties.