Press Release: 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.