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Fourth EU Emergency and Crisis Coordination Arrangements Exercise (CCAEX09)

Reference: IP/09/1417 Event Date: 30/09/2009

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IP/09/1417

Brussels, 30 September 2009

Fourth EU Emergency and Crisis Coordination Arrangements Exercise (CCAEX09)

A fourth exercise to test the functioning of the EU's Emergency and Crisis Coordination Arrangements in Brussels (CCA) was conducted successfully between 25 and 29 September 2009.

The main aim of the exercise, conducted jointly by the Presidency, the Council Secretariat and the Commission, was to verify the ability of the arrangements to respond quickly and efficiently to a crisis at EU level and the capacity of the Council and the Commission to support effectively Member States' crisis response efforts. The results confirmed that the arrangements are appropriate and that the lessons learned in particular with regard to information sharing and communication will allow them to be improved further.

The exercise was based on a crisis scenario involving a hostage-taking situation against the background of civil unrest in a fictitious non-EU country. It focused on the effects of such a crisis on EU nationals both in the region concerned and on the territory of the European Union.

Background

On 1 June 2006, the Council approved interim Crisis Coordination Arrangements in Brussels (CCA). The arrangements are part of the EU's crisis management mechanisms.

The CCA provide Member States' Permanent Representatives in Brussels with a platform for exchanging information and coordinating action, in the context of an emergency or crisis whose nature is deemed to be sufficiently serious (e.g. simultaneously affecting several Member States and the interests of the Union as a whole) to require an exceptional response at EU level.

The arrangements are triggered in the framework of the Council by the Member State holding the Presidency, assisted by the Council Secretariat and the Commission, in consultation with the directly affected Member States.

In setting up these arrangements, the Council invited the Council Secretariat, in full collaboration with the European Commission, to hold regular exercises to test the adequacy and efficiency of the CCA internal procedures.

Contacts:

Presidency of the Council

Jörgen Gren

Press counsellor

GSM +32 475 24 56 60

jorgen.gren@foreign.ministry.se

Elisabet Dahlén Jonsson

Press officer

GSM +32 476 50 50 22

elisabet.dahlen-jonsson@foreign.ministry.se

Council of the European Union

Cristina Gallach