Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1746 of 14 July 2026 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160 concerning certain emergency measures relating to sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria (notified under document C(2026) 5033)
Date: 2026-07-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: Bulgaria, Plovdiv region, animal disease, goat, sheep, transport of animals, veterinary inspection, viral disease








L_202601746EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2026/1746


16.7.2026







            COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2026/1746
of 14 July 2026
         
amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160 concerning certain emergency measures relating to sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria


(notified under document C(2026) 5033)


(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)


Sheep pox and goat pox is an infectious viral disease affecting caprine and ovine animals, and it 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 sheep pox and goat pox in caprine or ovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments keeping those 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 sheep pox and goat pox, 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, a further restricted zone around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.












(3)


Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160 (4) was adopted following outbreaks of sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria, and it lays down certain emergency measures to be taken by that Member State. More particularly, Article 1 of Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160 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 Parts A and B of Annex I to that Implementing Decision. It also provides that the measures required to be applied in those zones are to be applied at least until the dates listed in that Annex.












(4)


Since the last amendment of Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160, by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1408 (5), Bulgaria has notified the Commission of one outbreak of sheep pox and goat pox in an establishment where caprine or ovine animals were kept. This outbreak, which was reported on 22 June, concerns the region of Plovdiv.












(5)


Therefore, the areas listed as protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones for Bulgaria in the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160, as well as the duration of the measures applicable therein, should be adjusted to take account of the new outbreaks. 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.












(6)


The Annexes to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160 should, therefore, be amended accordingly.












(7)


The size of the protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones, and the duration of the measures to be applied therein, is based on the criteria laid down in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, as well as 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 sheep pox and goat pox in the areas affected by that disease, but also of the overall epidemiological situation of sheep pox and goat pox in the entire territory of the Member State concerned by that disease, as well as 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) (6).












(8)


Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of sheep pox and goat pox, and the need to prevent that disease from spreading from the affected establishments in Bulgaria to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States, the amendments to be made to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160, by this Decision, should take effect as soon as possible.












(9)


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 Annexes to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160 are replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Decision.


Article 2
This Decision is addressed to the Republic of Bulgaria.




Done at Brussels, 14 July 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) 2025/1160 of 5 June 2025 concerning certain emergency measures relating to sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria and repealing Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/948 (OJ L, 2025/1160, 10.6.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/1160/oj).

(5)  Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1408 of 22 June 2026 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1160 concerning certain emergency measures relating to sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria (OJ L, 2026/1408, 24.6.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1408/oj).

(6)  
            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 outbreaks








Region 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





Region of Plovdiv

BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00039
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00042
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00045
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00046
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00047
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00048
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00061
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00069
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00070
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00073
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00078
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00084
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00088
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00090
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00091
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00092
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00094
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00095
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00097
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00135
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00138
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00149
BG-CAPRIPOX-2025-00153
BG-CAPRIPOX-2026-00001


Protection zone:
Those parts of the regions of Plovdiv, Haskovo, and Stara Zagora contained within a circle of a radius of 5 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates
Lat. 42.200, Long. 24.790453 (2025/39),
Lat. 42.2829, Long. 24.9637 (2025/42), Lat. 42.2308, Long 25.0438 (2025/45), Lat. 42.2401, Long. 25.0556 (2025/46), Lat. 42.2037, Long. 25.0513 (2025/47), Lat. 42.1959, Long. 25.0566 (2025/48), Lat. 42.0248, Long. 25.096 (2025/61), Lat. 42.2883, Long. 24.6303 (2025/69), Lat. 42.3705, Long. 24.725 (2025/70), Lat. 42.3263, Long. 24.6724 (2025/73), Lat. 42.0146, Long. 25.2956 (2025/78), , Lat. 42.3063, Long. 24.5243 (2025/84), Lat. 41.9443, Long. 25.2481 (2025/88), Lat. 41.9423, Long. 25.2434 (2025/90), Lat. 41.9449, Long. 25.2471 (2025/91), Lat. 42.267, Long. 24.554 (2025/92), Lat. 42.2848, Long. 24.5428 (2025/94), Lat. 42.2757, Long. 24.5373 (2025/95), Lat. 41.9456, Long. 25.2427 (2025/97), , Lat. 42.1483, Long. 25.0517 (2025/135), Lat. 42.1228, Long. 24.9373 (2025/138), Lat. 42.0859, Long. 24.7088 (2025/149), Lat. 42.3905, Long. 25.131 (2025/153), Lat. 42.3442, Long. 24.8236 (2026/1).


31.12.2026




Surveillance zone:
Those parts of the regions of Plovdiv, Lovech, Stara Zagora, Haskovo and Pazardzhik contained within a circle of a radius of 20 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates
Lat. 42.200, Long. 24.790453 (2025/39),
Lat. 42.2829, Long. 24.9637 (2025/42), Lat. 42.2308, Long 25.0438 (2025/45), Lat. 42.2401, Long. 25.0556 (2025/46), Lat. 42.2037, Long. 25.0513 (2025/47), Lat. 42.1959, Long. 25.0566 (2025/48), Lat. 42.0248, Long. 25.096 (2025/61), Lat. 42.2883, Long. 24.6303 (2025/69), Lat. 42.3705, Long. 24.725 (2025/70), Lat. 42.3263, Long. 24.6724 (2025/73), Lat. 42.0146, Long. 25.2956 (2025/78), Lat. 42.3063, Long. 24.5243 (2025/84), Lat. 41.9443, Long. 25.2481 (2025/88), Lat. 41.9423, Long. 25.2434 (2025/90), Lat. 41.9449, Long. 25.2471 (2025/91), Lat. 42.267, Long. 24.554 (2025/92), Lat. 42.2848, Long. 24.5428 (2025/94), Lat. 42.2757, Long. 24.5373 (2025/95), Lat. 41.9456, Long. 25.2427 (2025/97), Lat. 42.1228, Long. 24.9373 (2025/138), Lat. 42.0859, Long. 24.7088 (2025/149), Lat. 42.3905, Long. 25.131 (2025/153), Lat. 42.3442, Long. 24.8236 (2026/1),
excluding the areas contained in the protection zone.


31.12.2026





Part B: Further restricted zones









Further restricted zone


Region


Areas included in the further restricted zones established in Bulgaria as referred to in Article 2


Date until applicable





Further restricted zone




Region of Plovdiv



The entire region of Plovdiv excluding the areas included in any protection or surveillance zone.


31.12.2026








ANNEX II








Area


Region


Areas, referred to in Article 3


Date until applicable





Area




Region of Plovdiv



The entire region of Plovdiv


31.12.2026





’



ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1746/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)