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COM(74)1670
Vol.1974/0266

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(74)1670 final
Brussels.17October1974
Proposai fora
COUNCIL DECISION
onthefinancinglay-theCommunityofcertainemergencymeasures
inthefieldofanimalhealth
(submittedtotheCouncil "bytheCommission)
C0M(74)1670final

3548/VI/74-E
EXPLMATORY MEMORANDUM
Atits158th meeting ,held atLuxembourg on29June 1971 »"theCouncil
expressed thedesire that theCommunity should assume certain financial
responsibilities inthefield ofanimal health .Inthe summary ofthe
decisions taken atthat meeting ,astatement appears tothe effect that ,
following anexchange ofviews onthepossibility ofsetting upajoint
animal health fund ,theCouncil recognized that everything possible must
bedone toaccelerate theharmonization ofnational provisions relating
toanimal health andtofind themeans ofachieving such harmonization ,
particularly asregards thefinancial responsibility oftheCommunity .
TheCouncil took note oftheCommission 'sintention ofsubmitting
proposals tothat endrelating tocertain specific andlimited cases .
'Furthermore ,on24September 1973 theStanding Veterinary Committee also
stressed theneed tosetupanemergency fund which would enable certain
sums tobemade available rapidly when theneed arose ,thus short-circuiting
theusual lengthy procedures inorder toobtain thefunds necessary to
protect theCommunity incases ofemergency .
This istheobject oftheattached draft Decision . Itwould enable the
Community tointervene financially not only incases where anexotic
disease breaks outwithin itsterritory ,butalso where itisdirectly
threatened owing totheoutbreak ofsuch disease intheterritory ofa
third country .Obviously ,themost effective means ofprotecting the
Community from epizootic diseases istocombat them intheplaces \vhere
they have broken out ,without waiting forthem toapproach ortobreak out
within thefrontiers oftheCommunity .This iswhytheCommunity should
begiven themeans tointervene outside itsterritory also ,though only ,
naturally ,toprotect itself .
Such action must beundertaken onthebasis ofgeneral criteria which should
belaid down here andnow .However ,since itisimpossible toforesee
allthedifferent situations which might arise ,itshould beleft tothe
executive bodies todetermine ineach specific instance themanner inwhich
theCommunity should act * ,'

-2- 3548/VI/74-E
Theattached draft Decision ties uptosome extent with theCouncil Directive
1of12December 1972 onhealth andveterinary inspection problems upon
importation ofbovine animals andswine andfresh meat from third countries
which ,when implemented ,will replace thenational laws currently inforce .
TheCommunity should therefore begin toconsider thepossibility ofmaking
itself tosome extent responsible formaking uplosses suffered asaresult
ofoutbreaks ofexotic diseases occurring inorthreatening itsterritory .
This should ,however ,intheCommission *sopinion ,beregarded asafirst
step which must later gofurther andtake inawider field .Thus ,the
Community should also assume financial responsibility for losses caused by
classical diseases where imports effected inaccordance with common rules
arethecause ofoutbreaks initsterritory .
Itshould benoted that theattached Decision would apply solely inrespect
ofreal emergencies where theprocedure used at -present forgranting aid
would betooslow .There could benoquestion ofthis Decision serving as
the legal basis forfinancing measures such asthose taken inthepast to
assist thePAO andSpain .
Theappropriations forallthemeasures would form part oftheannual
Community Budget .For 1975 "theCommission hasrequested appropriations
forthis purpose amounting to2500000units ofaccount .
OJNoL302 ,31December 1972 ,p.28.

3548/VI/74-E
PROPOSAI.i'ORA
COUÎiCILDECISION
onthefinancing "bytheCommunityofcertainemergencymeasuresinthefield
ofanimalhealth
THECOUNCILOPTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity,and
inparticularArticle43thereof;
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission;
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropeanParliament;
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee;
Whereasithasbeenrecognizedthateverythingpossiblemustbedonetoaccelerate
theharmonization ofnationalprovisionsrelatingtoanimalhealthandtofindthe
meansofachievingsuchharmonization ,particularly asregardstheCommunity's
financialresponsibility ;
Whereassuchresponsibility shouldatfirstrelateonlytotheriskofoutbreaks
ofexoticdiseasesoccurringwithintheterritoryoftheCommunityandshould
involvemeasurestobecarriedoutbothwithinandoutsidetheCommunity;whereas
theoutbreakofsuchdiseasesinaMemberStatemayconstituteaseriousdangerfor
theCommunityasawhole;

-2~3548/VI/74-E
Whereas themanner inwhich responsibility istobeassumed should bedefined in
each particular case asitarises ,Tinder aflexible andrapid Community procedure
inwhich theCommission cooperates closely with theMember States ;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION :
Article 1
1.Where anoutbreak ofoneofthecontagious diseases listed inArticle 6of
theCouncil Directive of12December 1972 occurs intheterritory ofa
Member State ,such State shall receive financial assistance from the
Community forthepurpose oferadicating thedisease ,provided that the
measures which areapplied forthwith include the isolation ofthefarm in
question from themoment when anoutbreak issuspected and ,assoon asthe
disease isofficially confirmed *
-theslaughter anddestruction ofanimals ofsusceptible species which are
afflicted orinfected orsuspected ofbeing so;
-thedestruction ofcontaminated feedingstuffs ;
-the disinfection ofthefarm ;
-theestablishment ofbuffer zones ;
-theapplication ofmeasures toprevent thespread ofinfection (whether by
vehicles orbyman);
-thefixing ofaminimum period during which thefarm maynotberestocked
following slaughter .
2.TheMember State concerned shall forthwith inform theCommission andthe other
Member States ofthemeasures applied andtheresults obtained .TheStanding
Veterinary Committee shall meet assoon aspossible toexamine thesituation .
Thedecision togrant Community financial assistance shall betaken inaccordance
with theprocedure laid down inArticle 5»Thegrant ofsuch assistance maybe
made conditional ontheapplication ,inaddition tothemeasures specified above ,
ofsuch further measures asmaybeconsidered necessary fortheachievement of .
the aim inview .

-3-3548/VI/74-E
3.TheCommunity'sfinancialcontribution ,whichmay"besplitupintoseveral
instalments ,maycoverupto5oftheexpensesincurred "bytheMember
Stateincompensating ownersfortheslaughteranddestructionoftheanimals
andforthedestructionoffeedingstuffs .Thecontribution shallbecalculated
onthebasisofdocumentaryevidencesubmittedbytheMemberStateconcerned.
4.Thelistofdiseasesreferredtoinparagraph 1may,forthepurposesofthis
Decision,bealteredinaccordancewiththeprocedurelaiddowninArticle5*
Article2
1.IfaMemberStateisdirectlythreatenedbytheoutbreakintheterritoryof
anadjacentthirdcountryorMemberStateofacontagiousdiseaseasreferred
toinArticle1(1),suchMemberStatemayifitconsidersspecialmeasures
necessaryforitsprotection,inparticularthecreationofabuffersoneof
vaccinatedanimals,obtainfinancialassistancefromtheCommunity,tobe
grantedinaccordancewiththeprocedurelaiddowninArticle5«
2.TheMemberStateconcernedshalltothisendinformtheCommission andthe
otherMemberStatesofitsintentionswithoutdelay.TheStandingVeterinary
Committeeshallmeetassoonaspossibletoexaminethesituation.
ThedecisiontograntCommunityfinancialassistance,whichmayrelateonlyto
thecostofpurchasingvaccineandofcarryingoutvaccination ,shallbetaken
inaccordancewiththeprocedurelaiddowninArticle5»Thegrantofsuch
assistancemaybemadeconditional ontheapplicationofsuchspecialmeasures
asmaybeconsiderednecessaryfortheachievementoftheaiminview.
3.TheCommunity'sfinancialcontribution ,whichmaybesplitupintoseveral
instalments,maycoverupto100$ofthecostofthevaccineandupto^Ofa
ofthecostofcarryingoutvaccination .

-4-3548/VI/74-E
Article 3
TheCommunity maymake afinancial contribution towards thecost of "building up
stocks ofbiological products (vaccines ,appropriate virus strains ,diagnosis
serums )tocombat thecontagious diseases referred toinArticle 1(1).
Thedesirability ofsuch action anddetailed rules foritsimplementation ,parti -....
cularly asregards thechoice ,production ,transport anduseofsuch stocks ,shall be
determined inaccordance with theprocedure laid down inArticle 5»
Article 4
1.IftheCommunity isthreatened bytheoutbreak inathird countiy ofa
contagious disease asreferred toinArticle 1(1),itmayhelp combat the
disease byfinancing inparticular thepurchase ofvaccine .
2.Thedesirability ofsuch Community intervention anddetailed rules forits
implementation ,inparticular theanimal health measures towhich itmaybe
made subject ,shall bedetermined inaccordance with theprocedure laid down
inArticle 5.
3.Such financial contribution bytheCommunity maynotexceed 25$ofthe
appropriations shown intheBudget inanygiven year forallthemeasures
provided forinthis Decision .
Article 5
1.Where theprocedure laid down inthis Article istobefollowed ,matters shall
bereferred bytheChairman ,either onhisowninitiative orattherequest of
aMember State ,totheStanding Veterinary Committee (hereinafter called the
'Committee' )setupbytheCouncil Decision of15October 1968 .
2.Within theCommittee ,thevotes oftheMember States shall beweighted as
provided inArticle 148(2 )oftheTreaty .TheChairman shall notvote .

-5-3548/VI/74-E
3.Therepresentative oftheCommission shall submit adraft ofthemeasures to
"beadopted .TheCommittee shall deliver itsopinion onsuch measures within
twodays .Opinions shall "bedelivered "byamajority offorty-one votes .
4.TheCommission shall adopt themeasures andputthem immediately into effect
where they areinaccordance with theopinion oftheCommittee .Where the
measures arenotinaccordance with theopinion oftheCommittee ,oi*ifno
opinion isdelivered ,theCommission shall without delay propose tothe
Council themeasures to "beadopted .TheCouncil shall act "byaqualified
majority .
If,within fifteen days oftheproposal "being submitted toit,theCouncil
hasnotacted ,theCommission shall adopt theproposed measures andputthem
immediately into effect .
Article 6
Theappropriations required fortheimplementation ofthemeasures provided for
inthis Decision shall "befixed each year aspart oftheBudget .
Article 7
Theprovisions ofArticle 5shall apply until 22June 1975 *
Article 8
This Decision isaddressed totheMember States .
Done atBrussels , 19 For the Council
The President