PURPOSE: to streamline measures for the control of Newcastle disease.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Directive (EU) 2018/597 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 92/66/EEC introducing Community measures for the control of Newcastle disease.

CONTENT: Directive 92/66/EEC lays down the Union control measures to be taken in the event of an outbreak of Newcastle disease in poultry, racing pigeons and other birds kept in captivity.

This Directive consists of a technical revision of Directive 92/66/EEC allowing the use of the implementing procedure to designate a new reference laboratory for Newcastle disease. These implementing powers shall be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on comitology.

The functions and duties of the European Union reference laboratory for Newcastle disease shall be:

to coordinate, in consultation with the Commission, the methods employed in the Member States for diagnosing Newcastle disease; to actively assist in the diagnosis of outbreaks of Newcastle disease in Member States by receiving virus isolates for confirmatory diagnosis, characterisation and epidemiology studies; to facilitate the training or retraining of experts in laboratory diagnosis with a view to the harmonisation of techniques throughout the Union.

Each Member State shall draw up a contingency plan , specifying the national measures to be implemented in the event of an outbreak of Newcastle disease. The contingency plan shall be updated, as appropriate, to take account of developments in the situation.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 24.4.2018.

TRANSPOSITION: no later than 30.6.2018.

APPLICATION: from 1.1.2019.

The European Parliament adopted by 651 votes to 4, with 48 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 92/66/EEC introducing Community measures for the control of Newcastle disease.

The technical revision of Directive 92/66/EEC shall make it possible to use implementing acts to designate a new reference laboratory for Newcastle disease. Those implementing powers would be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on comitology.

For the sake of clarity, the proposed amending Directive sets out the competences and tasks of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Newcastle Disease and the criteria for contingency plans. These plans shall allow access to facilities, equipment, personnel and all other appropriate materials necessary for the rapid and efficient eradication of the outbreak of Newcastle disease. They shall give a precise indication of the vaccine requirements which each Member State deems necessary for emergency vaccination.

The Commission shall approve the contingency plans and any updates thereto, if necessary amended, in accordance with the examination procedure.

The European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amends the Commission proposal to make it clear that the Directive should enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted the report by Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN (EPP, RO) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 92/66/EEC introducing Community measures for the control of Newcastle disease.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission proposal to make it clear that the Directive should enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Members considered that this amendment is necessary in order for the Commission to designate a new European Union reference laboratory for Newcastle disease within the tight deadlines related to BREXIT.

PURPOSE: to amend Council Directive 92/66/EEC introducing Community measures for the control of Newcastle disease, in order to bring it into line with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and the new official control provisions in force.

PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: Council Directive 92/66/EEC lays down the measures to be applied in the event of an outbreak of Newcastle disease in poultry and certain birds. The Directive confers on the Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission, the power to amend the Directive’s Annexes.

Thus, the Council may amend Annexes V, VI and VII to Directive 92/66/EEC which set out respectively (i) the indication of the European Union reference laboratory for Newcastle disease as well as its functions and duties, (ii) the model form to be used by Member States in order to report on the disease situation and the control measures applied; and (iii) the criteria to be applied by Member States for drawing up contingency plans specifying the national measures to be implemented in the event of an outbreak the disease.

It is necessary to simplify and streamline the procedures regarding the control of Newcastle disease, in particular taking into account the new rules in relation to the designation of European Union reference laboratories provided for by Article 93 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and also the new system of implementing acts provided for in Article 291 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

The current European reference laboratory (EURL) for Newcastle disease is located in the United Kingdom. Hence, it needs to be replaced by an EURL located in one of the other 27 Member States in view of the United Kingdom exiting the EU. The current procedure for designating an EURL for Newcastle disease is via a Council Directive. This technical revision of the Directive 92/66/EEC will enable the use of the required implementing procedure to designate a new EURL for Newcastle disease within the tight deadlines related to BREXIT .

CONTENT: the aim of this proposal is to amend Council Directive 92/66/EEC in order to ensure consistency with the TFEU and the new provisions on official controls with a view to simplifying procedures. It aims to delete Annexes V, VI and VII of that Directive and to confer on the Commission implementing powers in the matters covered by those Annexes. These powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (comitology Regulation).

The proposal provides that the Commission shall designate, by means of implementing acts , a European Union reference laboratory for Newcastle disease. For the sake of clarity, it sets out the function and duties of the European Union reference laboratory for Newcastle Disease as well as the criteria applicable to the contingency plans to be established by Member States in the event of the onset of the disease.