COMMISSION DECISION

of 30 November 2006

approving programmes for the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases, of certain TSEs, and for the prevention of zoonoses presented by Bulgaria and Romania for the year 2007 and amending Decision 2006/687/EC

(notified under document number C(2006) 5702)

(2006/876/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania, and in particular Article 4(3) thereof,

Having regard to the Act of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania, and in particular Article 42 thereof,

Having regard to Council Decision 90/424/EEC of 26 June 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field(1), and in particular Article 24(5), (6) and Articles 29 and 32 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Decision 90/424/EEC provides for the possibility of a financial contribution by the Community in the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases and for checks aimed at the prevention of zoonoses.

(2) Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies(2), provides for annual programmes for the eradication and monitoring of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in bovine, ovine and caprine animals.

(3) In view of the Accession of Bulgaria and Romania, it is appropriate to lay down the Community financial contribution for programmes for the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases and of certain TSEs presented by Bulgaria and Romania for the year 2007.

(4) Bulgaria and Romania have submitted programmes for the eradication and monitoring of certain animal diseases, for the prevention of zoonoses and for the eradication and monitoring of TSEs in their territories.

(5) After examination of those programmes they were found to comply with relevant Community veterinary legislation and in particular with the Community criteria relating to the eradication of those diseases, in accordance with Council Decision 90/638/EEC of 27 November 1990 laying down Community criteria for the eradication and monitoring of certain animal diseases(3).

(6) In the light of the importance of those programmes for the achievement of Community objectives in the field of animal and public health, as well as the obligatory application in all Member States in the case of the TSE programmes, it is appropriate to fix the appropriate rate of financial contribution of the Community to reimburse the costs to be incurred by Bulgaria and Romania for the measures referred to in this Decision up to a maximum amount for each programme.

(7) The presence of classical swine fever in pig holdings in Romania is a particularly serious threat for pig holdings in the rest of the Community. Therefore the rate of the Community contribution for the purchase of vaccine for the vaccination of pigs with the live attenuated vaccine should be set at the rate of 100 % of the costs.

(8) For the sake of better management, more efficient use of Community funds and improved transparency it is also necessary to fix, for each programme, where appropriate, maximum amounts to be reimbursed to Bulgaria and Romania for certain costs for items such as tests, vaccines and compensation to owners for their losses due to the slaughter or culling of animals.

(9) Under Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy(4), programmes for the eradication and control of animal diseases are to be financed under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund. For financial control purposes, Articles 9, 36 and 37 of that Regulation are to apply.

(10) The financial contribution from the Community should be granted subject to the condition that the actions planned are efficiently carried out and that the competent authorities supply all the necessary information within the time limits laid down in this Decision.

(11) In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005, the conversion rate for expenditure shall be the rate most recently set by the European Central Bank prior to the first day of the month in which the application is submitted by Bulgaria or Romania and the expenditure shall be expressed in euro.

(12) The approval of some of the programmes should not prejudge a decision of the Commission on rules for eradication of those diseases based on scientific advice.

(13) The list of programmes in Commission Decision 2006/687/EC of 12 October 2006 on programmes which qualify for a Community financial contribution in 2007 for the eradication and monitoring of certain animal diseases, for the prevention of zoonoses, for the monitoring of TSEs as well as programmes for the eradication of BSE and scrapie(5) should be amended to include Bulgaria and Romania.

(14) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

CHAPTER I

RABIES

Article 1

1. The programmes for the eradication of rabies presented by the Bulgaria and Romania are hereby approved for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.

2. The financial contribution by the Community shall be at the rate of 50 % of the costs to be incurred by each Member State referred to in paragraph 1 for the cost of laboratory tests and for the purchase and distribution of vaccine plus baits for the programmes and shall not exceed:

(a) EUR 830 000 for Bulgaria;

(b) EUR 800 000 for Romania.

3. The maximum amounts of the costs to be reimbursed to the Member States for the programmes referred to in paragraph 1 shall not exceed for the purchase of one vaccine dose EUR 0,5 per dose for the programmes referred to in paragraph 2.

CHAPTER II

CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER

Article 2

1. The programmes for the control and monitoring of classical swine fever presented by Bulgaria and Romania are hereby approved for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.

2. The financial contribution by the Community shall be at the rate of 50 % of the costs to be incurred by each Member State referred to in paragraph 1 for the cost of virological and serological tests of domestic pigs and wild boar and for the vaccination of wild boar the purchase and distribution of vaccines plus baits as well as for the vaccination of pigs while the financial contribution by the Community shall be at the rate of 100 % of the costs to be incurred by Romania for the purchase of the vaccine for the vaccination of pigs with the live attenuated vaccine and shall not exceed:

(a) EUR 425 000 for Bulgaria;

(b) EUR 5 250 000 for Romania.

3. The maximum amounts of the costs to be reimbursed to for the programmes referred to in paragraph 1 shall not exceed:

(a) for an ELISA test

EUR 2,5 per test;

(b) for the purchase of one vaccine dose for the vaccination of wild boar

EUR 0,5 per dose;

EUR 0,30 per dose.

CHAPTER III

CERTAIN ZOONOTIC SALMONELLA IN BREEDING POULTRY

Article 3

1. The programmes for the control of salmonella in breeding poultry presented by Bulgaria and Romania are hereby approved for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.

2. The financial contribution by the Community shall be at the rate of 50 % of the costs to be incurred by each Member State referred to in paragraph 1 for the cost of bacteriological tests, the compensation to owners for their losses due to the culling of birds and destruction of eggs and the purchase of vaccine doses and shall not exceed:

(a) EUR 508 000 for Bulgaria;

(b) EUR 215 000 for Romania.

3. The maximum amounts of the costs to be reimbursed to Bulgaria and Romania for the programmes referred to in paragraph 1 shall not exceed:

(a) for a bacteriological test

EUR 5,0 per test;

(b) for the purchase of one vaccine dose

EUR 0,05 per dose.

4. The eligible costs for the compensation for the losses due to the culling of animals shall be limited as provided for in paragraph 5.

5. The average compensation to be reimbursed to the Member States shall be calculated on the basis of the number of animals culled in the Member State and for breeding poultry, up to a maximum of EUR 2,5 per bird.

CHAPTER IV

SURVEY PROGRAMMES FOR AVIAN INFLUENZA IN POULTRY AND WILD BIRDS

Article 4

1. The programmes for avian influenza in poultry and wild birds presented by Bulgaria and Romania are hereby approved for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.

2. The financial contribution by the Community to the cost for analysing samples shall be at the rate of 50 % of the costs to be incurred by each Member State and shall not exceed:

(a) EUR 23 000 for Bulgaria;

(b) EUR 105 000 for Romania.

3. The maximum amounts of the costs to be reimbursed to Bulgaria and Romania for the tests covered by the programmes shall not exceed the following:

(a) :

ELISA test

EUR 1 per test;

(b) :

agar gel immune diffusion test

EUR 1,2 per test;

HI test for H5/H7

EUR 12 per test;

(d) :

virus isolation test

EUR 30 per test;

(e) :

PCR test

EUR 15 per test.

CHAPTER V

MONITORING OF TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES

Article 5

1. The programme for the monitoring of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) presented by Romania is hereby approved for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.

2. The financial contribution by the Community shall be at the rate of 100 % of the costs to be incurred by Romania referred to in paragraph 1 for the implementation of that programme and shall not exceed EUR 2 370 000.

3. The financial contribution by the Community of the programme referred to in paragraph 1 shall be for the tests performed and the maximum amount shall not exceed:

(a) EUR 6 per test, for tests carried out in bovine animals referred to in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001;

(b) EUR 30 per test, for tests carried out in ovine and caprine animals referred to in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001;

(d) EUR 145 per test, for primary molecular discriminatory tests carried out as referred to in Annex X, Chapter C, point 3.2(c)(i) to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001.

CHAPTER VI

ERADICATION OF SCRAPIE

Article 6

1. The programme for the eradication of scrapie presented by Romania is hereby approved for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.

2. The financial contribution by the Community of the programme referred to in paragraph 1 shall be at the rate of 50 % of the cost paid by Romania for compensation to owners for the value of their animals culled and destroyed in accordance with their eradication programme, up to a maximum of EUR 100 per animal and at a rate of 50 % of the costs for genotyping, up to a maximum of EUR 10 per genotyping test and shall not exceed EUR 980 000.

CHAPTER VII

GENERAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 7

The expenditure presented by Bulgaria and Romania for a financial contribution by the Community shall be expressed in euro and shall exclude value added tax and other taxes.

Article 8

The conversion rate for expenditure shall be the rate most recently set by the European Central Bank prior to the first day of the month in which the application is submitted by Bulgaria or Romania.

Article 9

1. The financial contribution by the Community for the programmes referred to in Articles 1 to 6 shall be granted provided that Bulgaria and Romania implement the programmes in accordance with the relevant provisions of Community law, including rules on competition and on the award of public contracts, and subject to the conditions provided for in points (a) to (f):

(a) bringing into force by 1 January 2007 the laws, regulations and administrative provisions by the Member State concerned for implementing the programme;

(b) forwarding by 1 June 2007 at the latest, the preliminary technical and financial evaluation of the programme, in accordance with Article 24(7) of Decision 90/424/EEC;

(c) for the programmes referred to in Articles 1 to 3, forwarding an intermediate report, covering the first six months of the programme, at the latest four weeks after the end of the implementation period covered by the report;

(d) for the programmes referred to in Article 4, Bulgaria and Romania shall report to the Commission positive and negative results of investigations detected during their surveillance of poultry and wild birds every three months by the end of the following month;

(e) for the programmes referred to in Articles 5 and 6, forwarding a report to the Commission every month on the progress of the TSE monitoring programme and the costs paid by Romania; that report must be forwarded within a period of four weeks following the end of the month covered by the report;

(f) forwarding a final report by 1 June 2008 at the latest, on the technical execution of the programme accompanied by justifying evidence as to the costs paid by Bulgaria and Romania and the results attained during the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007;

(g) details of the costs paid by Bulgaria and Romania as referred to in points (d) and (e) must be provided in a form in accordance with the table set out in the Annexes I and II;

(h) implementing the programme efficiently;

(i) no other Community contribution has been or will be asked for these measures.

2. Where the concerned Member State does not comply with paragraph 1, the Commission shall reduce the financial contribution by the Community having regard to the nature and gravity of the infringement, and to the financial loss for the Community.

Article 10

The Annexes to Decision 2006/687/EC are replaced by the text in Annex III to this Decision

Article 11

This Decision shall apply subject to and as from the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania.

Article 12

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 30 November 2006.

For the Commission

Markos

KYPRIANOU

Member of the Commission

(1)

OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19

. Decision as last amended by Decision 2006/53/EC (

OJ L 29, 2.2.2006, p. 37

(2)

OJ L 147, 31.5.2001, p. 1

. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1041/2006 (

OJ L 187, 8.7.2006, p. 10

(3)

OJ L 347, 12.12.1990, p. 27

. Decision as amended by Directive 92/65/EEC (

OJ L 268, 14.9.1992, p. 54

(4)

OJ L 209, 11.8.2005, p. 1

. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 320/2006 (

OJ L 58, 28.2.2006, p. 42

(5)

OJ L 282, 13.10.2006, p. 52

ANNEX I

[Bild bitte in Originalquelle ansehen]

ANNEX II

Model of computerised form giving details of costs paid by Romanians referred to in point (f) of Article 9(1)

TSE Monitoring

Member State:

Month:

Year:

Tests on bovine animals

	Number of tests	Unit cost	Total cost
Tests on animals referred to in Annex III, Chapter A, Part I, points 2.1, 3 and 4.1 to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001
Tests on animals referred to in Annex III, Chapter A, Part I, points 2.2, 4.2 and 4.3 to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001
Total

Tests on ovine animals

	Number of tests	Unit cost	Total cost
Tests on animals referred to in Annex III, Chapter A, Part II, point 2(a) to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001
Tests on animals referred to in Annex III, Chapter A, Part II, point 3 Regulation (EC) No 999/2001
Tests on animals referred to in Annex III, Chapter A, Part II, point 5 to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001
Total

Tests on caprine animals

	Number of tests	Unit cost	Total cost
Tests on animals referred to in Annex III, Chapter A, Part II, point 2 (b) to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001
Tests on animals referred to in Annex III, Chapter A, Part II, point 3 Regulation (EC) No 999/2001
Tests on animals referred to in Annex III, Chapter A, Part II, point 5 to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001
Total

Primary molecular testing with a discriminatory immuno-blotting

	Number of tests	Unit cost	Total cost
Tests on animals referred to in Annex X, Chapter C, point 3.2(c)(i)

Tests on Cervidae

	Number of tests	Unit cost	Total cost
Tests on animals referred to in Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001

ANNEX III

Annexes I, II, III and V to Decision 2006/687/EC are replaced by the following:

‘

ANNEX I

List of programmes for the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases as referred to in Article 1(1)

Rate and maximum amount of the Community financial contribution

Disease	Member State	Rate	Maximum amount (EUR)
Aujeszkys disease	Belgium	50 %	250 000
Aujeszkys disease	Spain	50 %	350 000
Bluetongue	Spain	50 %	4 900 000
	France	50 %	160 000
	Italy	50 %	1 300 000
	Portugal	50 %	600 000
Bovine brucellosis	Spain	50 %	3 500 000
	Ireland	50 %	1 100 000
	Italy	50 %	2 000 000
	Cyprus	50 %	95 000
	Poland	50 %	300 000
	Portugal	50 %	1 600 000
	United Kingdom(1)	50 %	1 100 000
Bovine tuberculosis	Spain	50 %	3 000 000
	Italy	50 %	2 500 000
	Poland	50 %	1 100 000
	Portugal	50 %	450 000
Classical swine fever	Germany	50 %	800 000
	France	50 %	500 000
	Luxembourg	50 %	35 000
	Slovenia	50 %	25 000
	Slovakia	50 %	400 000
Enzootic bovine leucosis	Estonia	50 %	20 000
	Italy	50 %	400 000
	Latvia	50 %	35 000
	Lithuania	50 %	135 000
	Poland	50 %	2 300 000
	Portugal	50 %	225 000
Ovine and caprine brucellosis (B melitensis)	Greece	50 %	650 000
	Spain	50 %	5 000 000
	France	50 %	200 000
	Italy	50 %	4 000 000
	Cyprus	50 %	120 000
	Portugal	50 %	1 600 000
Poseidom(2)	France(3)	50 %	50 000
Rabies	Czech Republic	50 %	490 000
	Germany	50 %	850 000
	Estonia	50 %	925 000
	Latvia	50 %	1 200 000
	Lithuania	50 % own territory; 100 % border areas	600 000
	Hungary	50 %	1 850 000
	Austria	50 %	185 000
	Poland	50 %	4 850 000
	Slovenia	50 %	375 000
	Slovakia	50 %	500 000
	Finland	50 %	112 000
	Bulgaria	50 %	830 000
	Romania	50 %	800 000
African swine fever/Classical swine fever	Italy	50 %	140 000
	Bulgaria	50 %	425 000
	Romania	50 %	5 250 000
Swine vesicular disease	Italy	50 %	120 000
Avian influenza	Belgium	50 %	66 000
	Czech Republic	50 %	74 000
	Denmark	50 %	160 000
	Germany	50 %	243 000
	Estonia	50 %	40 000
	Greece	50 %	42 000
	Spain	50 %	82 000
	France	50 %	280 000
	Ireland	50 %	59 000
	Italy	50 %	510 000
	Cyprus	50 %	15 000
	Latvia	50 %	15 000
	Lithuania	50 %	12 000
	Luxembourg	50 %	10 000
	Hungary	50 %	110 000
	Malta	50 %	5 000
	Netherlands	50 %	126 000
	Austria	50 %	42 000
	Poland	50 %	87 000
	Portugal	50 %	121 000
	Slovenia	50 %	32 000
	Slovakia	50 %	21 000
	Finland	50 %	27 000
	Sweden	50 %	130 000
	United Kingdom	50 %	275 000
	Bulgaria	50 %	23 000
	Romania	50 %	105 000
Total			63 014 000

ANNEX II

List of programmes of checks aimed at the prevention of zoonoses as referred to in Article 2(1)

Rate and maximum amount of the Community financial contribution

Zoonosis	Member State	Rate	Maximum amount (EUR)
Salmonella	Belgium	50 %	660 000
	Czech Republic	50 %	330 000
	Denmark	50 %	250 000
	Germany	50 %	175 000
	Estonia	50 %	27 000
	Greece	50 %	60 000
	Spain	50 %	2 000 000
	France	50 %	875 000
	Ireland	50 %	175 000
	Italy	50 %	320 000
	Cyprus	50 %	40 000
	Latvia	50 %	60 000
	Hungary	50 %	60 000
	Netherlands	50 %	1 350 000
	Austria	50 %	80 000
	Poland	50 %	2 000 000
	Portugal	50 %	450 000
	Slovakia	50 %	205 000
	Bulgaria	50 %	508 000
	Romania	50 %	215 000
Total			9 840 000

ANNEX III

List of programmes for the monitoring of TSEs as referred to in Article 3(1)

Rate and maximum amount of the Community financial contribution

Disease	Member State	Rate rapid tests & discriminatory tests performed	Maximum amount (EUR)
TSEs	Belgium	100 %	2 084 000
	Czech Republic	100 %	1 059 000
	Denmark	100 %	1 680 000
	Germany	100 %	11 307 000
	Estonia	100 %	233 000
	Greece	100 %	1 827 000
	Spain	100 %	10 237 000
	France	100 %	24 815 000
	Ireland	100 %	6 755 000
	Italy	100 %	3 375 000
	Cyprus	100 %	348 000
	Latvia	100 %	312 000
	Lithuania	100 %	645 000
	Luxembourg	100 %	146 000
	Hungary	100 %	784 000
	Malta	100 %	90 000
	Netherlands	100 %	5 112 000
	Austria	100 %	1 759 000
	Poland	100 %	3 744 000
	Portugal	100 %	2 115 000
	Slovenia	100 %	308 000
	Slovakia	100 %	1 088 000
	Finland	100 %	839 000
	Sweden	100 %	2 020 000
	United Kingdom	100 %	6 781 000
	Romania	100 %	2 370 000
Total			91 833 000

ANNEX V

List of programmes for the eradication of scrapie as referred to in Article 5(1)

Rate and amount of the Community financial contribution

Disease	Member State	Rate	Maximum amount (EUR)
Scrapie	Belgium	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	99 000
	Czech Republic	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	107 000
	Germany	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	927 000
	Estonia	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	13 000
	Greece	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	1 306 000
	Spain	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	5 374 000
	France	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	8 862 000
	Ireland	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	629 000
	Italy	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	3 076 000
	Cyprus	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	2 200 000
	Luxembourg	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	28 000
	Hungary	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	332 000
	Netherlands	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	543 000
	Austria	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	14 000
	Portugal	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	716 000
	Slovenia	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	83 000
	Slovakia	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	279 000
	Finland	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	11 000
	Sweden	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	6 000
	United Kingdom	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	9 178 000
	Romania	50 % culling; 50 % genotyping	980 000
Total			34 763 000

’

(1) United Kingdom only as regards Northern Ireland.

(2) Heartwater, babesiosis and anaplasmosis transmitted by vector insects in the French overseas departments.

(3) France only as regards Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion.