The "Var 2008" exercise is an on the ground test of the provision of help and efficiency of collaboration between the NRBC modules of nine European countries in the event of NRBC terrorist attacks.

A European-scale civil protection exercise will take place from November 4th to 6th, 2008 at the Canjuers camp in France. Michèle Alliot-Marie, the French Minister for the Interior, Overseas France and Territorial Communities, foreign delegations from the European Union and from the Union for the Mediterranean will attend this exercise on November 6th, 2008.

"Var 2008" will simulate the consequences of a Nuclear, Radiological, Biological or Chemical (NRBC) attack. Over 800 firsts responders, including doctors, fire-fighters and fire rescuers from France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and the Czech Republic, will take part in this exercise. Under the direction of the Prefecture of the Var department, the emergency services will be assigned to units for maintaining order and to specialised military duties.

The European mechanism created in October 2001 and aimed at developing cooperation between the Member States during a catastrophe which requires the intervention of civil protection services, was reinforced by the European Council of November 8th, 2007, with the creation of civil protection modules. In this scope, the Commission recently allocated up to 4 M€ to support simulation exercises in the field of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism, which will include such types of exercises, drills and simulations.

For the first time in a European simulation exercise, multiple civil protection modules will be deployed, providing a range of complementary resources in terms of commandment, operational capacities for detection and treating victims. 'Var 2008' aims to test capacities for detecting chemical and radioactive materials, taking care of victims and placement in hospitals in Europe based on the typology of the victim.