01/08/2019 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 1 August, Cristos Stylianides, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, announced on his Twitter account that, following a request from the Italian authorities, the European Union had provided Italy with satellite maps to help it deal with forest fires in Sardinia. He said that “The EU stands ready to help further if needed”. Italy will need to make the request to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The satellite maps provided by the Copernicus programme provide an accurate picture of the affected areas and the extent of the damage. The Commission is closely monitoring the situation through the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The ERCC is responsible for ensuring that requests for assistance are matched with offers from countries participating in the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism. (AN)