(1)

Infection with peste des petits ruminants virus is an infectious disease affecting caprine and ovine animals, and it can have a severe impact on the concerned animal population and the profitability of farming causing disturbance to movements of consignments of those animals and products thereof within the Union and exports to third countries. In the event of an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants in caprine or ovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments of caprine or ovine animals.

(2)

Commission Delegated Regulation 2020/687 (2) supplements the rules for the control of the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and defined as category A, B and C diseases in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 (3). In particular, Articles 21 and 22 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 provide for the establishment of a restricted zone in the event of an outbreak of a category A disease, including infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, and for certain measures to be applied therein. In addition, Article 21(1) of that Delegated Regulation provides that the restricted zone is to comprise a protection zone and a surveillance zone.

(3)

Croatia has informed the Commission of the current epidemiological situation as regards infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in its territory, following an outbreak of that disease in caprine and ovine animals in the municipality of Prgomet, in the Splitsko-Dalmatinska county, which was confirmed on 13 December 2025, and, in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, it has established a restricted zone, which comprises protection and surveillance zones, where the disease control measures laid down in that Delegated Regulation are applied.

(4)

In order to control the spread of the disease, to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid any unjustified barriers to trade being imposed by third countries, it is necessary to rapidly identify at Union level the restricted zone, established by Croatia, for infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, which comprises the protection and surveillance zones.

(5)

The size of the protection and surveillance zones, and the duration of the measures to be applied therein, are based on the criteria set out in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and the rules laid down in Annexes X and XI to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 including the epidemiological situation as regards infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in the areas affected by that disease, and the overall epidemiological situation of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in the Member State concerned as well as the level of risk for the further spread of that disease within that Member State and in the Union. Also, the duration of the measures provided for by this Decision has been determined in line with the international standards set out in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) (4).

(6)

Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus and the need to prevent the disease spreading from the affected establishment in Croatia to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States, it is appropriate that the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision apply as soon as possible.

(7)

Accordingly, the restricted zone identified as protection and surveillance zones in Croatia should be established and listed in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that regionalisation fixed.

(8)

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

(a)

a restricted zone which comprises protection and surveillance zones is established immediately by the competent authority of that Member State in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and under the conditions laid down therein;

(b)

the protection and the surveillance zones referred to in point (a) comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to this Decision;

(c)

the measures required to be applied in the protection and surveillance zones, are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision.