The European Commission had an initial technical level exchange with the French overseas territory of Saint Martin on Thursday 7 September to provide information on the possibility of exceptional European aid from the EU solidarity fund after Hurricane Irma swept through.
Assistance from the solidarity fund is regularly sought following natural disasters such as, for example, the earthquake that devastated the centre of Italy last year (see EUROPE 11671). France has 12 weeks from the date of the disaster to submit a request to the Commission.
Saint Barthélemy, which is not an outermost region but an overseas country and territory will not be able to seek help from the European fund, a number of European sources have told us.
The European Parliament’s regional development committee will propose that a debate be held on the situation in the Caribbean at the next plenary session, Younous Omarjee (GUE/NGL, France) has said.
On Thursday, the European Commission said that, at the request of France, the European satellite mapping system Copernicus had been activated to provide maps of Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin.
Outside the EU, Haiti and the Dominican Republic have also received assistance from Copernicus. In addition, the Commission has humanitarian experts in both these Caribbean countries.
The Commission’s regional office in Managua, Nicaragua, is acting as the coordination centre for humanitarian aid to the Caribbean region. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens with Mathieu Bion)