Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/732 of 20 March 2026 concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to foot and mouth disease in Greece (notified under document C(2026) 2029)
Date: 2026-03-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: Greece, Northern Aegean, cattle, foot-and-mouth disease, veterinary inspection








L_202600732EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2026/732


24.3.2026







            COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2026/732
of 20 March 2026
         
concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to foot and mouth disease in Greece


(notified under document C(2026) 2029)


(Only the Greek 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(2) thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


Foot and mouth disease is an infectious viral disease affecting animals of the mammal orders of Artiodactyla and Proboscidea 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. In the event of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments keeping animals of listed species as identified in the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 (2).












(2)


Commission Delegated Regulation 2020/687 (3) 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 Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882. 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 foot and mouth disease, 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 a protection zone and a surveillance zone, and if necessary, further restricted zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.












(3)


Greece informed the Commission of the current foot and mouth disease situation on its territory, following an outbreak of that disease in establishments keeping animals of listed species in the Lesvos regional unit in Greece. In accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, Greece has established restricted zones, which comprise protection and surveillance zones, where the disease control measures laid down in that Delegated Regulation are applied in order to prevent the further spread of that disease.












(4)


In order to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union, and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade being imposed by third countries, it is necessary to rapidly identify at Union level the restricted zones for foot and mouth disease in Greece, which comprise the protection and surveillance zones, and a further restricted zone, in collaboration with that Member State.












(5)


The size of the protection and surveillance zones and the further restricted zone, and duration of the measures to be applied therein, as established in accordance with Annexes X and XI to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, must be based on the epidemiological situation as regards foot and mouth disease in the areas affected by that disease and the overall epidemiological situation of foot and mouth disease in the Member State concerned as well as the level of risk for the further spread of the disease.












(6)


In view of the current epidemiological situation in Greece and the risk that infection with foot and mouth disease virus can spread through sub-clinically infected animals of listed species, it is necessary to prohibit the movement of such animals from any location within the further restricted zone to a destination located outside the external perimeters that restricted zone until a fixed date.












(7)


Accordingly, the areas identified as protection and surveillance zones and the further restricted zone in Greece 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 foot and mouth disease and the need to prevent that disease spreading from the affected establishment in Greece to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States or to third countries, it is appropriate that the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision apply as soon as possible. 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
Greece shall establish restricted zones, which comprise protection and surveillance zones, and a further restricted zone, in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, where the measures required to be applied in such zones in accordance with that Delegated Regulation are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision.
Those protection and surveillance zones, and the further restricted zone, shall comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex.


Article 2
Greece shall ensure that movements of animals of listed species for foot and mouth disease, as set out in the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882, from the further restricted zone set out in Annex to this Decision to a destination located outside the external perimeters of that restricted zone are prohibited until the dates listed in that Annex.


Article 3
This Decision is addressed to the Hellenic Republic.




Done at Brussels, 20 March 2026.


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 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).

(3)  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).




ANNEX

Protection and surveillance zones established around the confirmed outbreak









Member State


ADIS reference number of the outbreak


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


Date until applicable





Greece



GR-FMD-2026-00001


Protection zone:
Those parts of Greece, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 39.323973, Long. 26.273587.


15.5.2026




Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Greece, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 39.323973, Long. 26.273587, excluding the areas contained in the protection zone.


15.5.2026





Further restricted zone








Member State


Area established as further restricted zone, part of the restricted zone, referred to in Article 1


Date until applicable





Greece



The remaining territory of the Lesvos regional unit.


15.5.2026







ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/732/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)