THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Directive 64/432/EEC of 26 June 1964 on animal health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine(1), and in particular paragraph 4 of Annex A.I and paragraph 7 of Annex A.II thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Directive 64/432/EEC applies to trade within the Union in bovine animals. It lays down the conditions whereby a Member State or a region thereof may be declared officially tuberculosis-free or officially brucellosis-free as regards bovine herds.
(2) Article 1(2) of Commission Decision 2003/467/EC(2) provides that regions of Member States listed in Chapter 2 of Annex I thereto are declared officially tuberculosis-free as regards bovine herds.
(3) Italy has submitted to the Commission documentation demonstrating compliance for the region of Valle d’Aosta with the conditions laid down in Directive 64/432/EEC in order to be recognised as officially tuberculosis-free region as regards bovine herds.
(4) Portugal has submitted to the Commission documentation demonstrating compliance for the Autonomous Region of the Azores except the island of São Miguel with the conditions laid down in Directive 64/432/EEC in order to be recognised as officially tuberculosis-free region as regards bovine herds.
(5) Following the evaluation of that supporting documentation, the region of Valle d’Aosta in Italy and the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal except the island of São Miguel should be recognised as officially tuberculosis-free as regards bovine herds.
(6) Annex I to Decision 2003/467/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(7) Article 2(2) of Decision 2003/467/EC provides that regions of Member States listed in Chapter 2 of Annex II thereto are declared officially brucellosis-free as regards bovine herds.
(8) Portugal has submitted to the Commission documentation demonstrating compliance for the administrative regions (distritos) Aveiro, Viseu, Guarda, Coimbra, Leiria and Castelo Branco within the superior administrative region (região) Centro with the conditions laid down in Directive 64/432/EEC in order to be recognised as officially brucellosis-free regions as regards bovine herds.
(9) Following the evaluation of that supporting documentation, the administrative regions (distritos) Aveiro, Viseu, Guarda, Coimbra, Leiria and Castelo Branco in Portugal should be recognised as officially brucellosis-free as regards bovine herds.
(10) Annex II to Decision 2003/467/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(11) 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:
Commission Decision 2003/467/EC of 23 June 2003 establishing the official tuberculosis, brucellosis, and enzootic-bovine-leukosis-free status of certain Member States and regions of Member States as regards bovine herds (OJ L 156, 25.6.2003, p. 74).