Brussels, 03/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - EU institutions conducted an exercise for the first time on 30 October to test the functioning of the new Emergency and Crisis Coordination Arrangements in Brussels (CCA, approved on 1 June 2006 by the EU's justice and home affairs ministers), using a scenario of a near-simultaneous terrorist attack in five unspecified EU cities. The exercise started at 13.30 hrs Brussels-time (12.30 GMT), ending at 20.00 hrs (19 hrs GMT) with an oral assessment of the results by the Finnish Presidency to ambassadors of the EU25 Member States. Code-named CCAEX06, the exercise aimed to test CCA and ensure it was capable of coordinating the various levels of decision-making (Council, Commission and Member States). In a press release, the Commission explains that 'the aim of the exercise was to verify the joint capacity of the Council and Commission to react quickly and efficiently to a major crisis.' The Commission says the exercise revealed that the CCA structures and adequate and there was 'good level of knowledge among participants of the CCA structures and procedures', but improvements are required in the use of information technology. Further exercises are being planned at regular intervals. (bc)