COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2021/1008

of 21 June 2021

amending Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 as regards the disease-free status of Croatia and a region of Portugal from infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in bovine animal populations, amending Annex VIII thereto as regards the disease-free status of Lithuania and certain regions of Germany, Italy and Portugal from infection with bluetongue virus (serotypes 1-24) and amending Annex XIII thereto as regards the disease-free status of Denmark and Finland from infectious haematopoietic necrosis

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (1), and in particular Article 36(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 lays down disease-specific rules for the diseases listed in accordance with Article 5(1) thereof (listed diseases), and Article 9 thereof lays down how those rules are to be applied to different categories of listed diseases. Article 36 of that Regulation also provides for the approval by the Commission of the disease-free status of Member States or zones thereof with regard to certain listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), points (b) and (c), thereof.

(2) Furthermore, Article 280 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 provides for the maintenance of the existing disease-free status of Member States or zones or compartments thereof for certain listed diseases that were approved by the Commission in accordance with, inter alia, Council Directive 64/432/EEC (2). In addition, Article 84 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 (3) supplements the rules laid down in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 in that respect by laying down transitional measures concerning certain existing disease-free statuses. In particular, that provision provides that Member States or zones thereof with an approved disease-free status before the date of application of that Delegated Regulation are to be deemed to have an approved disease-free status from infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis in bovine animal populations where their brucellosis-free status was granted in accordance with Directive 64/432/EEC.

(3) Commission Decision 2003/467/EC (4) was adopted pursuant to Directive 64/432/EEC and it listed, inter alia, the officially brucellosis-free Member States and regions thereof, as regards bovine herds. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 (5) repealed and replaced Decision 2003/467/EC. That Implementing Regulation provides, inter alia, that the Member States or zones thereof with disease-free status from infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in bovine animal populations are listed in Chapter 1 of Part I of Annex I thereto. Croatia was listed as a Member State with brucellosis free-status, as regards bovine herds, in Decision 2003/467/EC. Therefore, Croatia should now be listed in Chapter 1 of Part I of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 as a Member State with disease-free status from infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in bovine animal populations. Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(4) In addition, Portugal has submitted to the Commission information demonstrating compliance by certain zones of that Member State with the requirements laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 in order for those zones to be recognised as having disease-free status from infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in bovine animal populations. Chapter 1 of Part I of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 should therefore be amended to include those zones of Portugal.

(5) Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 also provides that Member States or zones thereof with disease-free status from infection with bluetongue virus (serotypes 1-24) (‘infection with BTV’) are listed in Part I of Annex VIII thereto.

(6) Lithuania for its whole territory, and Germany, Italy and Portugal for several zones of those Member States, have submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for recognition of disease-free status from infection with BTV laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 are fulfilled. Part I of Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 should therefore be amended so as to include the whole territory of Lithuania, and also those zones of Germany, Italy and Portugal.

(7) Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 also provides that Member States or zones thereof with disease-free status from infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) are listed in Part I of Annex XIII thereto. The whole territory of Denmark and Finland are currently listed with disease-free status from IHN in Part I of that Annex. However, outbreaks of IHN has recently been notified to the Commission by those Member States. Part I of Annex XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(8) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1 Annexes I, VIII and XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 21 June 2021. For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1.

(2) Council Directive 64/432/EEC of 26 June 1964 on animal health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine (OJ 121, 29.7.1964, p. 1977).

(3) 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 (OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 211).

(4) Commission Decision 2003/467/EC of 23 June 2003 establishing the official tuberculosis, brucellosis, and enzootic-bovine-leukosis-free status of certain Member States and regions of Member States as regards bovine herds (OJ L 156, 25.6.2003, p. 74).

(5) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 of 15 April 2021 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the approval of the disease-free and non-vaccination status of certain Member States or zones or compartments thereof as regards certain listed diseases and the approval of eradication programmes for those listed diseases (OJ L 131, 16.4.2021, p. 78).