Article 9 of Directive 64/432/EEC provides that a Member State, which has a compulsory national control programme for one of the contagious diseases listed in Annex E(II) to that Directive, may submit its programme to the Commission for approval. That Article also provides for the definition of the additional guarantees which may be required in intra-Community trade.

Commission Decision 2004/558/EC of 15 July 2004 implementing Council Directive 64/432/EEC as regards additional guarantees for intra-Community trade in bovine animals relating to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and the approval of the eradication programmes presented by certain Member States2 approves the programmes for the control and eradication of the infection with the bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV1) presented by the Member States listed in Annex I to that Decision for the regions listed in that Annex, and for which additional guarantees for BHV1 apply in accordance with Article 9 of Directive 64/432/EEC.

The Czech Republic has now submitted the programme with the aim of eradicating BHV1 infection in the whole territory of that Member State. That programme complies with the criteria set out in Article 9(1) of Directive 64/432/EEC. That programme also provides for rules for the national movement of bovine animals which are equivalent to those previously implemented in certain Member States or regions thereof, which were successful in eradicating the disease in those Member States or regions.

The programme presented by the Czech Republic and the additional guarantees presented in accordance with Article 9 of Directive 64/432/EEC, should be approved.

Annex I to Decision 2004/558/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

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