COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2021/755

of 6 May 2021

designating a European Union reference centre for animal welfare for ruminants and equines in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(notified under document C(2021) 3009)

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

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

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products, amending Regulations (EC) No 999/2001, (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) No 1069/2009, (EC) No 1107/2009, (EU) No 1151/2012, (EU) No 652/2014, (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1/2005 and (EC) No 1099/2009 and Council Directives 98/58/EC, 1999/74/EC, 2007/43/EC, 2008/119/EC and 2008/120/EC, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 89/608/EEC, 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 96/23/EC, 96/93/EC and 97/78/EC and Council Decision 92/438/EEC (Official Controls Regulation) (1), and in particular Article 95(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) 2017/625 lays down rules for the performance of official controls and other official activities, including for the selection and designation of European Union reference centres for animal welfare. European Union reference centres for animal welfare support horizontal activities of the Commission and of the Member States in the area of welfare requirements for animals, which is referred to in Article 1(2)(f) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/329 (2) designated a European Union reference centre for animal welfare that, according to its work programme, focuses on pigs, and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1685 (3) designated a European Union reference centre for animal welfare for poultry and other small farmed animals.

(3) Subsequently, in accordance with Article 95 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, the Commission carried out a public selection process through a call for selection and designation of a European Union reference centre for animal welfare for ruminants and equines.

(4) The evaluation and selection committee appointed for the selection process referred to in recital 3 concluded that the consortium led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Swedish Centre for Animal Welfare (Sweden), and also composed of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Austria), Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos-Dimitra/Veterinary Research Institute (Greece), the National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (France), University College Dublin (Ireland) and the Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’ (Italy) (the consortium), complies with the requirements laid down in Article 95(3) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and should be responsible for the tasks laid down in Article 96 of that Regulation, as regards ruminants and equines.

(5) The consortium should therefore be designated as the European Union reference centre for animal welfare for ruminants and equines, which will be responsible for supporting tasks included in the European Union reference centres’ annual or multiannual work programmes. These work programmes are required to be established in conformity with the objectives and priorities of the relevant work programmes adopted by the Commission in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EU) No 652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4).

(6) Article 95(2)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 requires that the designation of a European Union reference centre for animal welfare is to be limited in time or reviewed regularly. Therefore, the designation of the European Union reference centre for animal welfare for ruminants and equines should be reviewed every five years.

(7) The designated European Union reference centre for animal welfare for ruminants and equines should be given time to prepare its work programme for the next budgetary period. Therefore, this Decision should apply from 1 June 2021,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 1. The following consortium is hereby designated as the European Union reference centre for animal welfare responsible for supporting horizontal activities of the Commission and of the Member States in the area of welfare requirements for ruminants and equines: Name: Consortium led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Swedish Centre for Animal Welfare (Sweden), and also composed of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Austria), the Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos-Dimitra/Veterinary Research Institute (Greece), the National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (France), the University College Dublin (Ireland) and the Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (Italy) Address: P.O. Box 7068 750 07 Uppsala SWEDEN 2. The designation shall be reviewed every five years from the date of application of this Decision.

Article 2 This Decision shall apply from 1 June 2021.

Article 3 This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 6 May 2021. For the Commission Stella KYRIAKIDES Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 95, 7.4.2017, p. 1.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/329 of 5 March 2018 designating a European Union Reference Centre for Animal Welfare (OJ L 63, 6.3.2018, p. 13).

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1685 of 4 October 2019 designating a European Union Reference Centre for Animal Welfare for poultry and other small farmed animals (OJ L 258, 9.10.2019, p. 11).

(4) Regulation (EU) No 652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 laying down provisions for the management of expenditure relating to the food chain, animal health and animal welfare, and relating to plant health and plant reproductive material, amending Council Directives 98/56/EC, 2000/29/EC and 2008/90/EC, Regulations (EC) No 178/2002, (EC) No 882/2004 and (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decisions 66/399/EEC, 76/894/EEC and 2009/470/EC (OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 1).