COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2019/1886

of 7 November 2019

amending Commission Decision 2010/346/EU as regards the regionalisation of Romania for the application of the protective measures with regard to equine infectious anaemia

(notified under document C(2019) 7873)

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

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

Having regard to Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary checks applicable in intra-Union trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market (1), and in particular Article 10(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Equine infectious anaemia ("EIA") is a viral disease affecting only animals of the family Equidae. The incubation period is normally one to three weeks, but may be as long as three months. Infected equidae remain infectious for life and can potentially transmit the infection to other equidae. Infection with EIA tends to become inapparent if death does not result from one of the acute clinical attacks during viraemia, and thus the likelihood of transmission is substantially increased. Local transmission occurs by the transfer of blood from an infected equine animal via interrupted feeding of bloodsucking horseflies and in utero to the foetus. The main means of the long distance spread of the disease is the movement of infected animals, their semen, ova and embryos, and the use of contaminated needles or infusion of blood products containing the virus.

(2) EIA is a compulsorily notifiable disease in accordance with Annex I to Council Directive 2009/156/EC (2). In addition, Council Directive 82/894/EEC (3) provides that outbreaks of EIA are to be notified to the Commission and other Member States through the Animal Disease Notification System ("ADNS").

(3) Unlike the animal health situation in other Member States, EIA is endemic in certain parts of Romania and the national eradication programme is not yet completed. For that reason, Commission Decision 2010/346/EU (4) provided for protective measures with regard to equine infectious anaemia in Romania.

(4) However, at the June 2019 meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed the competent authorities of Romania have presented to the other Member States and the Commission a situation report which has shown that in general, progress has been made in eradicating the disease and certain parts of Romania have remained free of the disease for more than 12 months or the prevalence of the disease has remained within limits observed regionally in other Member States. It is therefore appropriate to define the part of the territory of Romania in respect of which the protective measures laid down in Decision 2010/346/EU are to be applied.

(5) The Annex to Decision 2010/346/EU should therefore be amended accordingly.

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 The Annex to Decision 2010/346/EU is replaced by the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2 This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 7 November 2019. For the Commission Vytenis ANDRIUKAITIS Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 29.

(2) Council Directive 2009/156/EC of 30 November 2009 on animal health conditions governing the movement and importation from third countries of equidae (OJ L 192, 23.7.2010, p. 1).

(3) Council Directive 82/894/EEC of 21 December 1982 on the notification of animal diseases within the Community (OJ L 378, 31.12.1982, p. 58).

(4) Commission Decision 2010/346/EU of 18 June 2010 on protective measures with regard to equine infectious anaemia in Romania (OJ L 155, 22.6.2010, p. 48).