12/04/2021 (Agence Europe) – More than forty-eight hours after the first explosive eruption of the La Soufriere volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, “the EU is closely monitoring the situation” and stands ready to offer assistance if needed, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič emphasised on his Twitter account on Sunday 11 April. The emergency service of the European Copernicus programme, which provides detailed satellite maps of the location and extent of the damage, was activated on 9 April to help assess the damage. “We stand ready to provide further assistance”, the Commissioner said. Any country suffering from a disaster can receive assistance if it applies to the EU’s civil protection mechanism. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a small ACP island state and partner of the EU. (AN)