Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1387 of 17 June 2026 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638 concerning certain emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Romania (notified under document C(2026) 4305)
Date: 2026-06-17
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: Mures, Romania, animal plague, goat, infectious disease, sheep, transport of animals, veterinary inspection








L_202601387EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2026/1387


18.6.2026







            COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2026/1387
of 17 June 2026
         
amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638 concerning certain emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Romania


(notified under document C(2026) 4305)


(Only the Romanian 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 to exports to third countries. 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 keeping caprine or ovine animals.












(2)


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 a protection zone, a surveillance zone and, if necessary, further restricted zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.












(3)


Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638 (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 Romania. More specifically, Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638 provides that the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones to be established by that Member State, in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, following an outbreak of that disease are to comprise at least the areas listed in Annex I to that Implementing Decision.












(4)


Since the date of adoption of Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638, Romania has notified the Commission, on 8 June 2026, of one outbreak of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in an establishment where ovine and caprine animals are kept, located in the county of Mureș. In accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, Romania has established restricted zones, comprising protection and surveillance zones, in which the disease control measures laid down in that Delegated Regulation are applied in order to prevent the further spread of that disease. This is a recurrence of the disease, the last outbreak of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Romania having been reported on 5 March 2025, although this is the first outbreak reported in the county of Mureș.












(5)


In order to control the spread of the disease, 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 lay down at Union level the restricted zones for infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, comprising the protection and surveillance zones, as well as a further restricted zone, in Romania.












(6)


Therefore, the areas listed as protection, surveillance and further restricted zones for Romania in the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638, as well as the duration of the measures applicable therein, should be adjusted to take account of the new outbreak. Accordingly, it is necessary to amend the list of restricted zones, and the duration of the measures to be applied therein, set out in the Annex to that Implementing Decision.












(7)


The size of the protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones and the duration of the measures to be applied therein, are based on the criteria laid down in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, as well as on the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687. The criteria applied for the choice of the size and the number of the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones, as well as of the duration of the measures to be applied therein, include a consideration of not only the epidemiological situation as regards peste des petits ruminants virus in the areas affected by that disease, but also of the overall epidemiological situation of peste des petits ruminants virus in the entire territory of the Member State concerned by that disease, as well as of the level of risk for the further spread of the disease. In addition, the duration of the measures provided for by this Decision has been determined in line with the international standards set out in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) (5).












(8)


In addition, Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638 establishes the areas in the territory of Romania, listed in Annex II, where further measures, such as those applicable to further restricted zones, as provided for in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, must be applied, and where movements of ovine and caprine animals outside the external perimeters of those areas are to be prohibited, for a certain period of time, after the expiry of the periods provided for the measures applicable in the protection and surveillance zones. It is necessary to indicate the duration of measures applicable in those areas in Annex II.












(9)


Furthermore, Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638 prohibits movements of caprine and ovine animals from the entire territory of Romania to a destination located in, or passing through, another Member State for a certain period.












(10)


According to the information provided by the competent authority of Romania, this is a recurrence of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in an area never affected before, more than twelve months after the report of the last outbreak in Romania with very little information about the origin of the outbreak. Therefore, there is a high risk of further spread of the disease, not only within Romania and to the rest of the Union, but also to third countries.












(11)


Therefore, it is necessary to prolong the prohibition on the movements of ovine and caprine animals from the entire territory of Romania to any destination located in, or passing through, another Member State, until 31 December 2026 and to extend that prohibition to any destination located in third countries.












(12)


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 Romania to other Member States, the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision should apply as soon as possible.












(13)


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
Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638 is amended as follows:
In Article 1, point (c), is replaced by the following:






‘(c)


movements of caprine and ovine animals from the entire territory of Romania to a destination located outside Romania, in another Member State or in a third country, are prohibited until 31 December 2026.’.






Article 2
Annex I and Annex II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638 are replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Decision.


Article 3
This Decision is addressed to Romania.




Done at Brussels, 17 June 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 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) 2025/638 of 25 March 2025 concerning certain emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Romania and repealing Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/525 (OJ L, 2025/638, 28.3.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/638/oj).

(5)  
            https://www.woah.org/en/what-we-do/standards/codes-and-manuals/.




ANNEX
‘

ANNEX I

Part A:   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, referred to in Article 1


Date until applicable





Romania




Mureș county

RO-PPR-2026-00001


Protection zone:
Those parts of Mureș County, contained within a circle of a radius of 5 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.314, Long. 24.578 (2026/1).


1.7.2026




Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Mureș, County, contained within a circle of a radius of 20 kilometres, centred on UTM 30 ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.314, Long. 24.578 (2026/1), excluding the areas contained in the protection zone.


10.7.2026




Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Mureș County, contained within a circle of a radius of 20 kilometres, centred on UTM 30 ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 46.314, Long. 24.578 (2026/1), excluding the areas contained in the protection zone.


2.7.2026 – 10.7.2026





Part B:   Further restricted zone









Country


Administrative area


Areas established as further restricted zone, referred to in Article 1


Date until applicable





Romania




Mureș County



The entire territory of Mureș County excluding the areas contained in any protection or surveillance zone.


10.7.2026





Sibiu County



The entire territory of Sibiu County excluding the areas contained in any protection or surveillance zone.


10.7.2026








ANNEX II








Country


Administrative area


Areas referred to in Article 2


Date until applicable





Romania




Mureș County



The entire territory of Mureș County


11.7.2026-30.7.2026





Sibiu County



The entire territory of Sibiu County


11.7.2026-30.7.2026





’



ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1387/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)