COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2026/1015

| Official Journal of the European Union | EN L series ---|---|--- * * * | 2026/1015 | 4.5.2026 ---|---|--- COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2026/1015 of 29 April 2026 concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to sheep pox and goat pox in Romania (notified under document C(2026) 2967) (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(2) thereof, Whereas: (1) | Sheep pox and goat pox is an infectious viral 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. 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 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 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, further restricted zone around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones. ---|--- (3) | Romania informed the Commission of the current sheep pox and goat pox situation on its territory following an outbreak, reported on the 24 April 2026, of that disease in an establishment keeping animals of listed species in the county of Mureș. In accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, Romania 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 location and duration of those restricted zones for sheep pox and goat pox. ---|--- (5) | The size of the protection and surveillance zones, and the duration of the measures to be applied therein, is based on the criteria set out 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 of the protection and surveillance 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 Romania, and of the level of risk for the further spread of the disease. For the determination of the duration of the measures the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (4) have also been taken into account. ---|--- (6) | The areas identified as protection and surveillance zones in Romania should therefore be set out in the Annex to this Decision accordingly, and the duration of that regionalisation should be fixed. The duration of that regionalisation takes into account the minimum periods for the measures to be applied in the protection and surveillance zones in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687. ---|--- (7) | 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 establishment in Romania 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 Romania shall establish restricted zones, which comprise protection and surveillance zones, in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, where the measures required under that Delegated Regulation are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision. Those protection and surveillance zones shall comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex. Article 2 This Decision is addressed to Romania. Done at Brussels, 29 April 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) https://www.woah.org/en/what-we-do/standards/codes-and- manuals/terrestrial-code-online-access/. * * * ANNEX 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 Romania referred to in Article 1 | Date until applicable ---|---|--- Mureș county RO-CAPRIPOX-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 46.712977, Long. 24.563362 (2026/1). | 28.5.2026 Surveillance zone: Those parts of Mureș and Bistrița-Năsăud Counties, contained within a circle of a radius of 20 kilometres, centred on UTM 30 ETRS89 coordinates Lat 46.712977, Long. 24.563362 (2026/1), excluding the areas contained in the protection zone. | 12.6.2026 Surveillance zone: Those parts of Mureș County, contained within a circle of a radius of 5 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat 46.712977, Long. 24.563362 (2026/1). | 29.5.2026-12.6.2026 * * * ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1015/oj ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition) * * *