Directive 2009/156/EC lays down animal health conditions for the importation into the Union of live equidae. It provides that imports of equidae into the Union are only authorised from third countries that meet certain animal health requirements.

The equestrian events of the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games will take place in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, from 17 to 27 September 2017 under the auspices of the Fédération Equestre Internationale.

In order to authorise the re-entry into the Union of registered horses for competition after temporary export for the purpose of taking part in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and in order to provide for a model health certificate to accompany such registered horses, it is necessary to include Turkmenistan in the appropriate sanitary group in Annex I to that Decision and to lay down that those horses may re-enter the Union only when accompanied by a health certificate in accordance with the model set out in Annex VII to Decision 93/195/EEC.

Decision 93/195/EEC should therefore be amended accordingly.

In order to host the equestrian events of the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the competent authorities of Turkmenistan requested that a part of the territory of that country, established in the south of the Akhal region, be recognised as an equine disease-free zone for a limited period of time.

In February 2017, the Commission services participated in a mission carried out by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Turkmenistan to assist that country in finalising the establishment of the equine disease free zone, which consists of a core zone embedded in a surveillance zone.

The competent authorities of Turkmenistan provided a number of guarantees, in particular as regards the notifiability of the diseases listed in Annex I to Directive 2009/156/EC in their country and the undertaking to fully comply with Article 12(2)(f) of that Directive as regards the immediate disease notification to the Commission and the Member States.

African horse sickness, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis and vesicular stomatitis have never occurred in Turkmenistan. The last case of dourine reported to OIE occurred in 2010. There is no report on a case of glanders for at least 3 years, as required by OIE for a country claiming freedom from that disease.

Turkmenistan has carried out a comprehensive serological survey on the equine population in the country and in particular in the surveillance zone of the equine disease free zone with negative results in all cases for African horse sickness, glanders and dourine. For a period of 6 months, starting formally on 15 March 2017, the core zone will remain free of equidae until participating horses will be introduced according to the agreed quarantine protocol.

In order to ensure the sustainable protection of the health status of the equine population within the equine disease-free zone, the Turkmen authorities have undertaken to operate a newly erected quarantine facility right next to the equine disease free zone to control the entry of equidae from holdings in other parts of Turkmenistan and arriving from certain third countries not listed in Annex I to Decision 2004/211/EC. During this pre-entry quarantine the animals are subjected to the animal health tests in line with Union import conditions.

Taking into account the satisfactory results reported from the aforementioned mission, together with the information and guarantees provided by Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan should be included in the list of third countries set out in Annex I to Decision 2004/211/EC for the re-entry of registered horses during the period of 10 September to 10 October 2017. At the same time Turkmenistan should be regionalised for certain equine diseases. From an epidemiological point of view the equine disease-free zone in Turkmenistan should be assigned to sanitary group B in the list in Annex I to Decision 2004/211/EC.

Decision 2004/211/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

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