Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/255 of 31 January 2025 concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Hungary (notified under document C(2025) 788)
Date: 2025-01-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: Hungary, Pomurska, Slovenia, Western Transdanubia, animal plague, goat, sheep, veterinary inspection, viral disease








L_202500255EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2025/255


5.2.2025







            COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2025/255
of 31 January 2025
         
concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Hungary


(notified under document C(2025) 788)


(Only the Hungarian and Slovenian texts are authentic)
(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 259(2) thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


Infection with peste des petits ruminants virus is an infectious disease affecting caprine and ovine animals and can have a severe impact on the concerned animal population and the profitability of farming causing disturbance to movements of consignments of those animals and products thereof within the Union and exports to third countries.












(2)


In the event of an outbreak of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in caprine or ovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments of caprine or ovine animals.












(3)


Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 (2) supplements the rules for the control of the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and defined as category A, B and C diseases in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 (3). In particular, Articles 21 and 22 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 provide for the establishment of a restricted zone in the event of an outbreak of a category A disease, including infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, and for certain measures to be applied therein. In addition, Article 21(1) of that Delegated Regulation provides that the restricted zone is to comprise at least a protection zone, a surveillance zone, and, if necessary, further restricted zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.












(4)


Hungary has informed the Commission of the current situation in its territory as regards infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, following an outbreak of that disease in kept ovine animals in Zala county, at about three kilometres distance from the border with Slovenia, which was reported on 27 January 2025, and, in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, it has established a restricted zone, which comprises a protection and a surveillance zone where the disease control measures laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 are applied. Slovenia has also informed the Commission that, following the report of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Hungary near its border, it has established a surveillance zone in its territory in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687.












(5)


In order to control the spread of the disease, as well as to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade by third countries, it is necessary to rapidly identify at Union level the restricted zone for infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, which comprises the protection zone in Hungary, and the surveillance zone in Hungary and in Slovenia.












(6)


The size and duration of the protection and surveillance zones, as well as the measures to apply within these zones should be based on the criteria set out in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, including the epidemiological situation as regards infection with peste de petits ruminants virus in the areas affected by that disease and the overall epidemiological situation of infection with peste de petits ruminants virus in in Hungary as well as the level of risk for the further spread of that disease. The duration of the measures should also take into account the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).












(7)


Accordingly, the areas identified as a protection zone in Hungary, and as a surveillance zone in Hungary and Slovenia, should be set out in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that regionalisation fixed.












(8)


Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus and the need to prevent the disease from spreading from the affected establishment in Hungary to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States, the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision should apply as soon as possible.












(9)


Accordingly, pending the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, the protection zone in Hungary and the surveillance zone in Hungary and Slovenia should be established immediately and listed in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that zoning fixed.












(10)


Taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards peste de petits ruminants, this Decision should apply until 28 February 2025.












(11)


This Decision is to be reviewed at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1
The Member States listed in the Annex shall ensure that:






(a)


a restricted zone, which comprises a protection zone and a surveillance zone, is established immediately by the competent authorities of those Member States in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and under the conditions laid down in that Article;










(b)


the protection and surveillance zones referred to in point (a) comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to this Decision;










(c)


the measures required to be applied in the protection and surveillance zones are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision.






Article 3
This Decision shall apply until 28 February 2025.


Article 4
This Decision is addressed to Hungary and the Republic of Slovenia.




Done at Brussels, 31 January 2025.


For the Commission

Olivér VÁRHELYI
            

Member of the Commission






(1)  
            OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj.

(2)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases (OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 64, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/687/oj).

(3)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 of 3 December 2018 on the application of certain disease prevention and control rules to categories of listed diseases and establishing a list of species and groups of species posing a considerable risk for the spread of those listed diseases (OJ L 308, 4.12.2018, p. 21, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/1882/oj).




ANNEX

Protection and surveillance zones established around the confirmed outbreak









Country


Administrative area and ADIS reference number of the outbreak


Areas established as protection and surveillance zones, part of the restricted zone in Hungary and Slovenia, referred to in Article 1


Date until applicable





Hungary




Zala county

HU-PPR-2025-00001



Protection zone:
Those parts of Zala county, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.722217, Long. 16.415056 (HU-PPR-2025-00001)


19.2.2025





Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Zala county, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.722217, Long. 16.415056 (HU-PPR-2025-00001), excluding the areas contained in the protection zone


28.2.2025





Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Zala county, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.722217, Long. 16.415056 (HU-PPR-2025-00001)


20.2.2025 – 28.2.2025





Vas county




Protection zone:
Those parts of Vas county, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.722217, Long. 16.415056 (HU-PPR-2025-00001)


19.2.2025





Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Vas county, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.722217, Long. 16.415056 (HU-PPR-2025-00001), excluding the areas contained in the protection zone


28.2.2025





Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Vas county, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.722217, Long. 16.415056 (HU-PPR-2025-00001)


20.2.2025 – 28.2.2025





Slovenia




Local Authority Unit (LAU) SI00009-VET


Murska Sobota




Surveillance zone:
In the municipality of Dobrovnik, the settlements of Dobrovnik, Strehovci and Žitkovci.
In the municipality of Kobilje, the settlement of Kobilje.
In the municipality of Lendava, the settlement of Kamovci.
In the municipality of Moravske Toplice, the settlements of Berkovci, Bogojina, Bukovnica, Čikečka vas, Filovci, Ivanjševci, Motvarjevci, Pordašinci, Prosenjakovci, Selo, Središče and Vučja Gomila


28.2.2025







ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/255/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)