Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/293 of 9 February 2026 amending Annexes I to IV, VII, VIII, XI and XIII and correcting Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 as regards the approval or withdrawal of the disease-free status of certain Member States, zones or compartments thereof as regards certain listed diseases and the approval of eradication programmes for certain listed diseases

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 31(4), second subparagraph, and Articles 36(4), 37(4) and 42(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 lays down disease-specific rules for the listed diseases referred to in Article 5(1) thereof, and it specifies how those rules are to be applied to different categories of those listed diseases. Regulation (EU) 2016/429 also provides for the approval or withdrawal by the Commission of the disease-free status of Member States or zones or compartments thereof regarding certain listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), thereof. In addition, Regulation (EU) 2016/429 provides for Member States to establish compulsory eradication programmes for the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), point (b), thereof, and for optional eradication programmes for the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), point (c), thereof, and for the approval of such programmes by the Commission.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 (2) supplements Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and lays down the criteria for granting, maintaining, suspending, and withdrawing the disease-free status of Member States or zones or compartments thereof, and the requirements for the approval of eradication programmes of Member States or zones or compartments thereof.

(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2623 (3) supplements Regulation (EU) 2016/429 as regards rules for the approval and recognition of the disease-free status of compartments keeping terrestrial animals and lays down specific rules and conditions for the recognition of the animal health status of compartments for poultry as regards highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and infection with Newcastle disease virus.

(4) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 (4) lays down implementing rules for the listed diseases, referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, of animals, as regards the disease-free and non-vaccination status of certain Member States or zones or compartments thereof, and the approval of eradication programmes for those listed diseases. More particularly, it lists in the Annexes thereto, the Member States or zones or compartments thereof with approved disease-free status, and with existing approved compulsory or optional eradication programmes. Due to changes in the epidemiological situation in the Union of certain listed diseases, Annexes I to IV, VII, VIII, XI and XIII to that Implementing Regulation should be amended.

(5) As regards infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis, infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), infection with rabies virus (RABV), enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), and infectious haemopoietic necrosis (IHN), several Member States have recently applied to the Commission to have disease-free status approved for certain zones of their territory. In addition, several Member States as well as the United Kingdom, acting in respect of Northern Ireland in accordance with the Windsor Framework, have notified the Commission of outbreaks with bluetongue virus (serotypes 1-24) (BTV) on their territory. Those developments should be reflected in Annexes I to IV, VII, VIII, XI and XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620.

(6) As regards Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in ovine and caprine animal populations, infection with MTBC and EBL, Croatia has submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for the recognition of disease-free status, laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689, are fulfilled for the whole territory of that Member State. Following the assessment by the Commission, the application has been shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the approval of disease-free status. Therefore, the whole territory of Croatia should be listed as free from infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in ovine and caprine animal populations, and from infection with MTBC, and EBL, in Chapter 2 of Part I of Annex I, Part I of Annex II, and Annex IV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, respectively. Those Annexes should, therefore, be amended accordingly.

(7) As regards Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in bovine animal populations, Hungary and Italy have submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for the recognition of disease-free status, laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689, are fulfilled for the whole territory of Hungary and for the provinces of Trapani and Caltanissetta in the region of Sicilia, for the province of Chieti in the region of Abruzzo, and for the province of Isernia in the region of Molise in Italy. Following the assessment by the Commission, the applications have been shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the approval of disease-free status. Therefore, the whole territory of Hungary, and the provinces of Trapani, Caltanissetta in the region of Sicilia, the province of Chieti in the region of Abruzzo and the province of Isernia in the region of Molise in Italy should be listed as free from infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in bovine animal populations, in Chapter 1 of Part I of Annex I, to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620. That Annex should, therefore, be amended accordingly.

(8) As regards infection with RABV, Poland has submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for the recognition of disease-free status, laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689, are fulfilled for the whole territory of the voivodships of Łódzkie, Mazowieckie and Świętokrzyskie, and for certain zones of the voivodeships of Lubelskie and Podkarpackie. Following the assessment by the Commission, the application has been shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the approval of disease-free status. Therefore, those zones should be listed as free from infection with RABV in Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620. That Annex should, therefore, be amended accordingly.

(9) As regards BVD, Germany has submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for the recognition of disease-free status laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 are fulfilled for the regions of Borken, Gütersloh and Paderborn in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Following the assessment by the Commission, the application has been shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the approval of disease-free status. Therefore, those regions should be listed as free from BVD in Part I of Annex VII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620. That Annex should, therefore, be amended accordingly.

(10) As regards infection with BTV, Italy has notified the Commission of outbreaks of infection with BTV-8 and BTV-4 serotype in the previously disease-free zones of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Bolzano, respectively. In addition, Lithuania and Hungary as well as the United Kingdom, acting in respect of Northern Ireland in accordance with the Windsor Framework, have notified the Commission of outbreaks of infection with BTV-3 serotype in their territory which was previously disease-free. Moreover, Poland has notified the Commission of outbreaks of infection with BTV-3 serotype in the voivodeships of Opolskie, Wielkopolski and Zachodniopomorskie affecting the status of the zone of Poland that still has disease-free status. As the whole territory of Lithuania and of Hungary, the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Bolzano in Italy, and the voivodships of Slaslkie`, Małopolskie, and Swiętokrzyskie and several regions of the voivodships of Lodzkie, Opolskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, and Wielkopolski in Poland, as well as the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland, have disease-free status, and are listed in Part I of Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, the approval of the disease-free status from infection with BTV should be withdrawn from the whole territory of Lithuania and of Hungary, the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Bolzano in Italy, and the voivodships of Slaslkie and Opolskie and several regions of the voivodships of Lodzkie, Swiętokrzyskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Małopolskie, and Wielkopolski in Poland, as well as the United Kingdom, acting in respect of Northern Ireland in accordance with the Windsor Framework. Therefore, the entries for Italy, Lithuania, Hungary and Poland, as well as the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland, in that Annex should be amended accordingly.

(11) As regards IHN, Finland has submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for the approval of disease-free status from IHN, laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689, are fulfilled for the remaining compartment in Finland that is not yet recognised as disease-free. Following the assessment by the Commission, that application has been shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4, of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the granting of disease-free status from IHN. Therefore, the whole territory of Finland should be listed in Part I of Annex XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, as having disease-free status from IHN. That Annex should, therefore, be amended accordingly.

(12) As regards HPAI, Article 8 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2623 lays down transitional provisions and provides that operators of poultry compartment that have been approved in relation to avian influenza in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 616/2009 (5), and that are listed as free from HPAI in Annex XI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, are to apply for approval of disease-free status for HPAI in accordance with Article 4 of that Delegated Regulation within a period of 12 months from its date of entry into force, namely 24 October 2024,, or the competent authority is to withdraw their approval at the end of that period. France and the Netherlands have submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for the approval of disease-free status from HPAI, laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2623, are fulfilled for some of the currently listed compartments, namely ISA Bretagne, SASSO Sabres and SASSO Soulitré in France and Institut de selection animale B.V in the Netherlands. No other Member State has submitted information regarding the approval of compartments for HPAI. Therefore, Annex XI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 should be updated to include those compartments in France and the Netherlands. Annex XI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 should, therefore, be amended accordingly.

(13) Furthermore, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2692 (6) amended the table set out in Part II of Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, by listing the Balearic Islands in Spain as a zone with an approved eradication programme for infection with BTV, with a date of initial approval of 21 February 2022. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2692 entered into force on 21 October 2024. However, an error has now been detected in the date of initial approval as before 21 October 2024 the Balearic Islands had disease-free status with regard to infection with BTV and therefore was listed as such in Part I of Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620. Consequently, the Balearic Islands did not have an approved eradication programme before 21 October 2024 and the date of their initial approval cannot be 21 February 2022. The entry for Spain in that table was later amended by Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) 2025/330 (7) and (EU) 2025/1401 (8), with the same date of initial approval for the Balearic Islands. It is therefore appropriate to correct the date of 21 February 2022 and put the date of entry into force of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2692 instead, namely 21 October 2024. Part II of Annex VIII should, therefore, be corrected accordingly.

(14) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Annexes I to IV, VII, VIII, XI and XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 are amended in accordance with Part I of the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

Annex VIII Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 is corrected in accordance with Part II of the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 9 February 2026.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards rules for surveillance, eradication programmes, and disease-free status for certain listed and emerging diseases (OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 211, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/689/oj).

(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2623 of 30 July 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 as regards rules for approval and recognition of disease-free status of compartments keeping terrestrial animals (OJ L 2024/2623, 4.10.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/2623/oj).

(4) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 of 15 April 2021 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the approval of the disease-free and non-vaccination status of certain Member States or zones or compartments thereof as regards certain listed diseases and the approval of eradication programmes for those listed diseases (OJ L 131, 16.4.2021, p. 78, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/620/oj).

(5) Commission Regulation (EC) No 616/2009 of 13 July 2009 implementing Council Directive 2005/94/EC as regards the approval of poultry compartments and other captive birds compartments with respect to avian influenza and additional preventive biosecurity measures in such compartments OJ L 181, 14.7.2009, p. 16 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/616/oj).

(6) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2692 of 17 October 2024 amending Annexes I and VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 as regards the approval or withdrawal of the disease-free status of certain Member States or zones thereof as regards certain listed diseases and the approval of eradication programmes for certain listed diseases (OJ L, 2024/2692, 18.10.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2024/2692/oj).

(7) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/330 of 19 February 2025 amending Annexes VIII and XI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 as regards the approval or withdrawal of the disease-free status of certain Member States or zones thereof as regards certain listed diseases and the approval of eradication programmes for certain listed diseases (OJ L, 2025/330, 20.2.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/330/oj).

(8) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1401 of 14 July 2025 amending Annexes I, VIII, XI, XV, XVI and XVII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 as regards the approval or withdrawal of the disease-free status of certain Member States, zones or compartments thereof as regards certain listed diseases and the approval of eradication programmes for certain listed diseases (OJ L, 2025/1401, 15.7.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/1401/oj).