(Brussels) €1 million has been made available by the European Union today to provide relief assistance to quake-stricken people in Ecuador. “The EU is fully committed to supporting the international relief efforts to assist the thousands affected by the earthquake in Ecuador”, said Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management. “We are already channelling emergency assistance through the EU civil protection mechanism”. “The Commission’s humanitarian experts – he continued – are also on their way to the affected areas to assist in relief efforts and assess the need for further assistance”. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated upon the request of Ecuadorian authorities and the United Nations, whilst the mobilisation of assistance is coordinated through the Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). Moreover, advanced satellite imagery generated through EU’s Copernicus system is being provided to Ecuador to facilitate the assessment of damage in the areas around the epicentre and beyond. Offers of assistance are incoming from Spain, France, Poland and other participating countries.