Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/784 of 14 April 2025 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238 concerning certain emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Bulgaria (notified under document C(2025) 2349)
Date: 2025-04-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: Bulgaria, Pazardzhik region, animal plague, goat, sheep, transport of animals, veterinary inspection, viral disease








L_202500784EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2025/784


16.4.2025







            COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2025/784
of 14 April 2025
         
amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238 concerning certain emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Bulgaria


(notified under document C(2025) 2349)


(Only the Bulgarian text is 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(1) 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. Article 21(1) of that Delegated Regulation provides that the restricted zone is to comprise a protection zone, a surveillance zone, and, if necessary, further restricted zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.












(4)


Commission Implementing Decision 2024/3238 (4) was adopted on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and lays down certain emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Bulgaria in response to an outbreak confirmed, on 25 November 2024, in Velingrad municipality in the region of Pazardzhik. More specifically, Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238 provides that the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones to be established by that Member State, in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 are to comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to that Implementing Decision.












(5)


Since the last amendment of Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238, Bulgaria has notified the Commission of continued delays in the implementation of the disease control measures required to be applied in the event of official confirmation of an outbreak of a category A disease in kept animals in an establishment in accordance with Article 12 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, as regards the outbreak that was confirmed in Velingrad municipality, in the region of Pazardzhik.












(6)


In light of the current epidemiological situation, and the urgent need to effectively mitigate the risk of disease spread both within Bulgaria and to other Member States, it is crucial to adjust the duration of the control measures in the restricted zones listed as protection, surveillance and further restricted zones for Bulgaria, in the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238. These adjustments address the significant risk posed by the continued circulation and potential spread of the disease beyond the currently affected areas as long as the disease control measures have not been completed.












(7)


The duration of the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones is based on the criteria set out in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and on the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687. In addition, the epidemiological situation regarding infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in the affected areas as well as the overall epidemiological situation of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Bulgaria, as well as the level of risk for further spread of that disease within that Member State and in the Union is taken into account. Furthermore, the duration of the measures provided for by this decision has been determined in line with international standards set out in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).












(8)


In addition, in view of the continued delay in the application of the disease control measures required to be applied in the event of official confirmation of an outbreak of a category A disease in kept animals in an establishment in accordance with Article 12 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, more than four months since the confirmation of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in the region of Pazardzhik, it is necessary to prohibit movements of ovine and caprine animals from the entire territory of Bulgaria to other Member States for a certain period of time.












(9)


Taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards infection with peste des petits ruminants virus and the period during which the measures provided for by Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238 need to apply, the application of that Decision should be prolonged until 31 December 2025.












(10)


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





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1

Amendments to Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238

Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238 is amended as follows:






1.


in Article 2, the following point (d) is added:






‘(d)


movements of sheep and goats from the entire territory of Bulgaria to a destination located in another Member State are prohibited until 30 September 2025.’;














2.


in Article 4, the date ‘31 July 2025’ is replaced by ‘31 December 2025’;










3.


the Annex is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Decision.






Article 2

Addressee

This Decision is addressed to the Republic of Bulgaria.




Done at Brussels, 14 April 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).

(4)  Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3238 of 19 December 2024 concerning certain emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Bulgaria and repealing Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3109 (notified under document (OJ L, 2024/3238, 23.12.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/3238/oj).




ANNEX
A.   Protection and surveillance zones established around the confirmed outbreak








Regional unit and ADIS reference number of the outbreak


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


Date until applicable





Pazardzhik region

BG-PPR-2024-00001


Protection zone:
Those parts of Pazardzhik region, contained within a circle of a radius of 5 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.0156, Long. 23.9989 (2024/1)


22.8.2025




Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Pazardzhik region, contained within a circle of a radius of 20 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.0156, Long. 23.9989 (2024/1) excluding the areas contained in the protection zone


31.8.2025




Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Pazardzhik region, contained within a circle of a radius of 20 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.0156, Long. 23.9989 (2024/1)


23.8.2025 - 31.8.2025




B.   Further restricted zones








Regional unit


Areas included in the further restricted zone established in Bulgaria as referred to in Article 1


Date until applicable





Region of Pazardzhik









—


Entire territory of Pazardzhik region, excluding the areas included in any protection or surveillance zone.






31.8.2025










—


Entire territory of Pazardzhik region






1.9.2025 - 30.9.2025





Region of Blagoevgrad









—


Municipalities Razlog, Satovcha, Garmen, Bansko, Belitsa, Yakoruda






30.9.2025





Region of Smolyan









—


Dospat Municipality






30.9.2025





Region of Sofia oblast









—


Municipalities Kostenets and Dolna Banya






30.9.2025







ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/784/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)