Here’s a breakdown of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1356:
**1. Essence of the Act:**
This regulation amends Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, which lays down special disease control measures for African swine fever (ASF). The amendment adjusts the geographical areas listed in Annexes I and II of the original regulation, designating specific zones within certain EU member states as restricted zones (I, II, or III) or infected zones, based on recent outbreaks of ASF in both wild and kept pigs. These changes aim to control the spread of the disease within the Union.
**2. Structure and Main Provisions:**
* **Article 1:** This article is the core of the amendment. It states that Annexes I and II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 are replaced entirely by the text provided in the Annex to this new regulation. This means all previous zoning designations are superseded.
* **Article 2:** Specifies that the regulation comes into force the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. This ensures immediate action to address the evolving ASF situation.
* **Annex I:** Lists restricted zones I, II, and III within specific Member States. These zones are defined by specific geographical boundaries (municipalities, districts, etc.) and are subject to different levels of disease control measures as outlined in the original Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594.
* **Annex II:** This annex is divided into two parts:
* Part A is for areas established as infected zones following an outbreak of African swine fever in wild porcine animals in a previously disease-free Member State or zone.
**3. Main Provisions Important for Use:**
* **Geographical Scope:** The regulation directly impacts those involved in the movement of live pigs and pork products within and from the listed regions in Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Italy, Czechia and Greece. Anyone operating in these areas needs to be acutely aware of the zone designations.
* **Control Measures:** The specific restrictions and control measures that apply to each zone (I, II, or III) are detailed in the original Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594. This amending regulation only changes the geographical application of those measures.
* **Dynamic Nature:** The regulation acknowledges that the ASF situation is very dynamic. This implies that the listed zones are subject to change as the epidemiological situation evolves, so continuous monitoring of updates is crucial.
* **Delisting and Relisting:** The regulation delists an area in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany from Part A of Annex II (infected zone) and relists it as restricted zones II and I in Annex I. This indicates a change in the risk assessment and corresponding control measures.
* **Increased Risk:** The regulation highlights that new outbreaks in certain regions of Italy and Poland constitute an increased level of risk, leading to a change in their zone designation from restricted zone I to restricted zone II, or from restricted zone II to restricted zone III.
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