Equine infectious anaemia ("EIA") is a viral disease affecting only animals of the family Equidae. The incubation period is normally one to three weeks, but may be as long as three months. Infected equidae remain infectious for life and can potentially transmit the infection to other equidae. Infection with EIA tends to become inapparent if death does not result from one of the acute clinical attacks during viraemia, and thus the likelihood of transmission is substantially increased. Local transmission occurs by the transfer of blood from an infected equine animal via interrupted feeding of bloodsucking horseflies and in utero to the foetus. The main means of the long distance spread of the disease is the movement of infected animals, their semen, ova and embryos, and the use of contaminated needles or infusion of blood products containing the virus.

EIA is a compulsorily notifiable disease in accordance with Annex I to Council Directive 2009/156/EC2. In addition, Council Directive 82/894/EEC3 provides that outbreaks of EIA are to be notified to the Commission and other Member States through the Animal Disease Notification System ("ADNS").

Unlike the animal health situation in other Member States, EIA is endemic in certain parts of Romania and the national eradication programme is not yet completed. For that reason, Commission Decision 2010/346/EU4 provided for protective measures with regard to equine infectious anaemia in Romania.

However, at the June 2019 meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed the competent authorities of Romania have presented to the other Member States and the Commission a situation report which has shown that in general, progress has been made in eradicating the disease and certain parts of Romania have remained free of the disease for more than 12 months or the prevalence of the disease has remained within limits observed regionally in other Member States. It is therefore appropriate to define the part of the territory of Romania in respect of which the protective measures laid down in Decision 2010/346/EU are to be applied.

The Annex to Decision 2010/346/EU should therefore be amended accordingly.

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