Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/2110
of 16 December 2020
amending Part C of Annex I to Decision 2009/177/EC as regards the disease-free status of the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland for certain aquatic animal diseases
(notified under document C(2020) 9303)
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Directive 2006/88/EC of 24 October 2006 on animal health requirements for aquaculture animals and products thereof, and on the prevention and control of certain diseases in aquatic animals1, and in particular Articles 49(1), 50(2)(a), 50(3), 51(2) and 61(3) thereof,
Whereas:
Commission Decision 2009/177/EC2 implements Directive 2006/88/EC as regards surveillance and eradication programmes and disease-free status of Member States, zones and compartments. The second and fourth column of the table in Part C of Annex I to that Decision lists those Member States which have been declared disease-free in accordance with Article 49(1) of Directive 2006/88/EC, and those zones and compartments which have been declared disease-free in accordance with Article 50(3) of that Directive. The disease to which this disease-free status applies is set out in the first column of the same table.
In accordance with the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Withdrawal Agreement), and in particular Article 5(4) of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland in conjunction with Annex 2 to that Protocol, Directive 2006/88/EC, as well as the Commission acts based on it, applies to and in the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland after the end of the transition period provided for in the Withdrawal Agreement. For that reason, references to the United Kingdom in Part C of Annex I to Decision 2009/177/EC should be replaced by references to the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland.
Annex I to Decision 2009/177/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.
As the transition period provided for in the Withdrawal Agreement ends on 31 December 2020, this Decision should apply from 1 January 2021.
The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: