EU en NAVO oefenen gezamenlijk op crisisbeheersing (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Next week the EU and NATO will put their collective crisis management heads together to try and solve a "fictitious crisis scenario".

The exercise will be a practical take on how effectively the EU plans at a politico-military level using NATO assets, when the Alliance itself is not engaged.

A Commission spokesperson said the fictitious mission, from 19-25 November, would take place on "an island in the Atlantic called Atlantia".

"There is ethnic tension between at least two groups and then there is a peace agreement and it involves the possible deployment of EU resources".

The theoretical exercise will involve some of the EU's top strategic planning groups including the Political and Security Committee and a geographical working group.

The spokesperson said it is of "particular importance to the Commission in the sense that it allows to improve the whole range of, not only military and police, but also civilian instruments ... that fall under Community competence".

These include rule law, civil administration and police missions.

It is the second crisis management exericise carried out by the EU but the first with NATO.

The Union carried out a similar exercise in June 2002.