Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2208 of 31 October 2025 amending the Annex to Decision 2007/453/EC as regards the BSE status of certain regions of the United Kingdom (notified under document C(2025) 7264)
Date: 2025-10-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: England, Scotland, United Kingdom, Wales, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, disease prevention, health control, veterinary inspection, zoonosis








L_202502208EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2025/2208


4.11.2025







            COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2025/2208
of 31 October 2025
         
amending the Annex to Decision 2007/453/EC as regards the BSE status of certain regions of the United Kingdom


(notified under document C(2025) 7264)


(Text with EEA relevance)


THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

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


Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (1), and in particular Article 5(2), third subparagraph, thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 provides that Member States, or third countries or regions thereof (countries or regions) are to be classified according to their bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) status into one of three categories: negligible BSE risk, controlled BSE risk and undetermined BSE risk.












(2)


Article 5(2), third subparagraph, of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 provides that if the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has placed an applicant country in one of the three BSE categories, a re-assessment of the BSE categorisation at Union level may be decided.












(3)


Commission Decision 2007/453/EC (2) lists the BSE status of countries or regions according to their BSE risk in Parts A, B or C of the Annex to that act. The countries or regions listed in Part A of that Annex are regarded as having a negligible BSE risk, those listed in Part B are regarded as having a controlled BSE risk, while Part C of that Annex provides that countries or regions not listed in Part A or B are to be regarded as having an undetermined BSE risk.












(4)


The United Kingdom with the exception of Northern Ireland currently fall within Part B of the Annex to Decision 2007/453/EC as countries with a controlled BSE risk.












(5)


On 29 May 2025, the WOAH World Assembly of Delegates adopted Resolution No 17, ‘Recognition of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Risk Status of Members’
                   (3), which entered into force on 30 May 2025. This resolution recognised the zones of England and Wales, and Scotland in the United Kingdom as having a negligible BSE risk, in line with the criteria set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code. After reassessment of the situation at Union level, stemming from WOAH Resolution No 17, the Commission has considered that the new WOAH BSE status of the zones of England and Wales, and Scotland in the United Kingdom should be reflected in the Annex to Decision 2007/453/EC.












(6)


The list of countries or regions in the Annex to Decision 2007/453/EC should therefore be amended so that the zones of England and Wales, and Scotland in the United Kingdom are listed in Part A of that Annex under countries or regions with a negligible BSE risk.












(7)


The Annex to Decision 2007/453/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.












(8)


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
The Annex to Decision 2007/453/EC is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Decision.


Article 2
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.




Done at Brussels, 31 October 2025.


For the Commission

Olivér VÁRHELYI
            

Member of the Commission






(1)  
            OJ L 147, 31.5.2001, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2001/999/oj.

(2)  Commission Decision 2007/453/EC of 29 June 2007 establishing the BSE status of Member States or third countries or regions thereof according to their BSE risk (OJ L 172, 30.6.2007, p. 84, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2007/453/oj).

(3)  
            https://www.woah.org/app/uploads/2025/06/92gs-2025-res-17-tech-bse-status-final-en.pdf.




ANNEX



‘ANNEX
LIST OF COUNTRIES OR REGIONS
A.   Countries or regions with a negligible BSE risk


Member States







—


Belgium










—


Bulgaria










—


Czechia










—


Denmark










—


Germany










—


Estonia










—


Ireland










—


Spain










—


France










—


Croatia










—


Italy










—


Cyprus










—


Latvia










—


Lithuania










—


Luxembourg










—


Hungary










—


Malta










—


Netherlands










—


Austria










—


Poland










—


Portugal










—


Romania










—


Slovenia










—


Slovakia










—


Finland










—


Sweden





Regions of Member States
                                  (1)







—


Northern Ireland





European Free Trade Association countries







—


Iceland










—


Liechtenstein










—


Norway










—


Switzerland





Third countries







—


Argentina










—


Australia










—


Brazil










—


Canada










—


Chile










—


Colombia










—


Costa Rica










—


India










—


Israel










—


Japan










—


Jersey










—


Namibia










—


New Zealand










—


Panama










—


Paraguay










—


Peru










—


Serbia (2)











—


Singapore










—


England and Wales, and Scotland in the United Kingdom










—


United States










—


Uruguay




B.   Countries or regions with a controlled BSE risk


Member States







—


Greece





Third countries







—


Mexico










—


Nicaragua










—


South Korea










—


Taiwan




C.   Countries or regions with an undetermined BSE risk







—


Countries or regions not listed in Parts A or B.






            ’
         


(1)  In accordance with the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 5(4) of the Windsor Framework (see Joint Declaration No 1/2023 of the Union and the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 102, 17.4.2023, p. 87)) in conjunction with Annex 2 to that Framework, for the purposes of this Annex references to Member States include the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland.

(2)  As referred to in Article 135 of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States of the one part, and the Republic of Serbia, of the other part (OJ L 278, 18.10.2013, p. 16).



ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/2208/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)