Through an examination of the European Union (EU) foreign policy towards Iraq, and the EU’s intervention via either source of financial support or assistance on the ground, this study aimed to assess the effects of EU humanitarian aid and civil protection in Iraq since 2003. Attention was paid mostly to the EU emergency response between 2014 and 2018 since the emergency response needed by humanitarian organizations during that time was critical. Through an investigation into previous studies, and the EU policy documents and reports, the findings show that overall, the response to Iraq humanitarian aid and civil protection was in line with the DG ECHO’s objectives and the legal framework. The actions taken in Iraq were, for the most part, especially in the Mosul crisis after 2014, consistent with the principles on providing humanitarian assistance and civil protection to civilians. Given Iraq's complex security environment, both the field presence of DG ECHO and the collaborative approach via financing were meaningful, although a lack of local ownership of humanitarian aid sometimes rendered it ineffective in certain cases. Overall, the outreach effort in Iraq was successful in a number of different areas, although there were still opportunities for improvement. The levels of efficiency in Iraq were satisfactory, and there were opportunities to expand staffing capacity and availability. The findings of this study have important theoretical implications, as they provide an insight on the effectiveness of EU aid and civil protection in Iraq.