G/SPS/N/EU/411  
1 September 2020  
(20-5933) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES  
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission, Health and Food Safety Directorate -General  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Terrestrial anima ls and aquatic animals  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 of 
17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament 
and of the Council as regards rules for surveillance, eradication programmes, and 
disease -free status for certain listed and emerging diseases (Text with EEA relevance) . 
Language(s): English, French, Spanish . Number of pages: 130 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020 /SPS/EEC/20_5045_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/SPS/EEC/20_5045_00_f.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/SPS/EEC/20_5045_00_s.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The notified Regulation supplements rules that are already laid 
down in the EU Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) 2016/429) concerning surveillance, 
eradication programmes, and disease -free status in the European Union for certain listed 
and emerging dise ases. In that regard it lays down:  
(a) the rules and conditions for surveillance conducted by the competent authority to 
ensure the detection of listed diseases and, where relevant, of emerging diseases in the  
EU; 
(b) the criteria used to determine which d isease will require a Union surveillance 
programme and rules setting up the requirements for these Union surveillance 
programmes, to be implemented by competent authorities of the EU Member States;  
(c) the rules setting out how competent authorities are to  implement compulsory and 
optional eradication programmes in the EU for specific listed diseases focusing on their 
disease control strategies, their intermediate and final targets and their period of 
application;  
(d) measures to be implemented by the compe tent authority and the operators in the EU 
under the compulsory and optional eradication programmes;  
(e) the detailed rules for granting disease -free status to EU Member States, and zones and 
in case of aquatic animals, compartments;  
(f) the detailed rules  for surveillance and biosecurity measures to be implemented by 
competent authorities and operators in the EU for maintaining disease -free status of EU 
Member States, zones and compartments;  
(g) supplementary rules for the suspension, withdrawal and restor ation of disease -free 
status in the EU;  G/SPS/N/EU/411  
 
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  (h) rules necessary to ensure a smooth transition from the rules existing prior to the 
Animal Health Law.  
7. Objective and rationale: [  ] food safety, [X]  animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[X] protect humans from  animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action:   
9. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Anima l Health Code, chapter number) : OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code 
(2019), Chapters 1.4., 4.1.; and OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (2019), Chapter 
1.4 -Articles 1.4.1 to 1.4.3, 1.4.7, Articles 4.2.1 and 4.2.2.  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
10. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable):  
23 June 2020 2 / 1 April 2021;  
Date of adoption: 17/12/2019; Date of publication: 03/06/2020  
[ ] Trade facilitating meas ure  
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2-Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(322) 295 4263  
Fax: +(322) 299 8090  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu   
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(322) 295 4263  
Fax: +(322) 299 8090 
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu