. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/ALB/92 
25 November 2008  
 (08-5785) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   ALBANIA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection 
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):  Live animals, herbivores, ruminants, embryos, biological products, 
pathological material 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable :  Voreio 
Aigaio region, Lesvos island (Greece)  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Order of the Minister of 
Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection "On some protective measures against the 
outbreak of Blue tongue disease in the Voreio  Aigaio region, Lesvos island (Greece)" 
(available in Albanian, 2 pages)  
6. Description of content:  This Order of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Consumer 
Protection contents some protective measures against the outbreak of Blue tongue disease in the Voreio Aigaio region, Lesvos island (Greece), stopping the import and transit of live 
animals like ruminants, and all kind of herbi vores infected by Blue tongue disease from the 
Voreio Aigaio region, Lesvos island (Greece) into Albanian territory;  stopping the import 
of products such as:  semen and embryos of  ruminants and all kind of herbivores;  
pathological material and biological products  originated from ruminants and all kind of 
herbivores that are infected by Blue tongue Virus. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests  The objective is to protect human and animal health in the 
territory of Albania from the Blue tongue disease outbreak in the Voreio Aigaio region, Lesvos island (Greece). 
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action:  This Order aims to 
protect the consumers and animals from the harmful disease of Blue tongue appeared in the Voreio Aigaio region, Lesvos island (Greece). G/SPS/N/ALB/92 
Page 2  
 
  9. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [ X ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the 
appropriate reference and briefly identify deviations:    
10. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   Notifications taken 
from the World Organization for Animal Hea lth, dated 7 November 2008, according to the 
International Terrestrial Animal Health Code. 
11. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  13 November 2008 
12. Agency or authority designated to handl e comments: [ X ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  
13. Texts available from: [ X ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  
General Directorate of Standardization 
WTO Enquiry Point - Albania 
Tel:  +(355 4) 222 62 55 Fax:  +(355 4) 224 71 77 E-mail:  info@dps.gov.al Website:  http://www.dps.gov.al