(1)

The Union Civil Protection Mechanism (‘the Union Mechanism’) set out in Decision No 1313/2013/EU aims to strengthen cooperation between the Union and the Member States and facilitates coordination in the field of civil protection in order to improve the Union’s response to natural and man-made disasters.

(2)

In accordance with Article 13 of Decision No 1313/2013/EU, a Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network (‘Knowledge Network’) should be established with the aim to aggregate, process, and disseminate knowledge and information relevant to the Union Mechanism by including relevant civil protection and disaster management actors, centres of excellence, universities, and researchers and following a multi-hazard approach.

(3)

In line with Article 13(1) of Decision No 1313/2013/EU, the Commission, through the Knowledge Network, supports the coherence of planning and decision-making processes by facilitating the continuous exchange of knowledge and information involving all areas of activity under the Union Mechanism. When facilitating the continuous exchange of knowledge and information, the Commission, through the Knowledge Network, should prepare strategic plans, which will lay out the strategic orientation of the Knowledge Network for the upcoming years.

(4)

In order to create synergies with other relevant groups and networks, the Knowledge Network should work closely with the committee referred to in Article 33(1) of Decision No 1313/2013/EU, as well as with Commission expert groups in the field of civil protection and disaster management registered in the Commission Register of expert groups and other similar entities. The Knowledge Network and the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (‘ERCC’) are to cooperate closely to ensure complementarity and mutual support in their respective activities.

(5)

The Knowledge Network should not duplicate but make use of the outcomes of other Commission initiatives relevant to the scope of the Network.

(6)

In order to formally establish the Knowledge Network it is necessary to adopt rules setting out the organisational structure and the operation of the Knowledge Network.

(7)

The organisational structure of the Knowledge Network should be composed of advisory bodies and a secretariat. The advisory bodies of the Knowledge Network are the board and working groups for each pillar of the Knowledge Network.

(8)

The Board should primarily act as the strategic forum by providing strategic orientation to the Commission and have advisory oversight functions over the Knowledge Network.

(9)

With a view to ensuring an effective and efficient organisation of the activity of the Knowledge Network, it is necessary to set up a secretariat of the Knowledge Network. The secretariat should be provided by the Commission and should notably be managing, administering and coordinating the Knowledge Network. The primary function of the secretariat is to ensure coherence, synergies and smooth information flow within the Knowledge Network, as well as to coordinate activities of the Knowledge Network in line with strategic planning.

(10)

The Knowledge Network and its activities should be structured along two main pillars that should provide a framework for key Knowledge Network activities and foster network-based exchanges under their scope: the Capacity Development pillar and the Science pillar. The Capacity Development pillar should aim to bring together, promote and strengthen capacity development initiatives of relevance to civil protection and disaster management stakeholders, with a special focus towards the Union Mechanism. The Science pillar should aim to bring together academia, practitioners, and decision-makers for multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and cross-border cooperation to apply scientific knowledge to disaster risk management, and in particular, to prevention and preparedness activities more efficiently.

(11)

The Capacity Development pillar should focus on well-known existing programmes and projects, such as the Union Mechanism Training and Exercises Programme, the Exchange of Civil Protection Experts, the Knowledge Network Partnerships and the Union Mechanism Prevention and Preparedness Programme. These programmes should be consolidated through a gradual and continuous process, and complemented by other capacity development activities. The Science pillar should build on and integrate existing scientific structures and networks supporting the Union Mechanism, in particular the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre, managed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, as well as relevant Horizon Europe programmes that are funding Research and Innovation Actions and related networking initiatives in the area of disaster risk management.

(12)

Rules on disclosure of information by members of the Knowledge Network should comply with the obligations of professional secrecy.

(13)

In order to be transparent on the activities carried out by the bodies of the Knowledge Network, the Commission should publish the relevant meeting documents on the online platform referred to in Article 13(1)(d) of Decision No 1313/2013/EU.

(14)

Personal data should be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2).

(15)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the committee referred to in Article 33(1) of Decision No 1313/2013/EU,

(a)

the Board;

(b)

the Pillars’ working groups.

(1)

Regulation (EU) 2016/429, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/990, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2002 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2236 began to apply in the States of the European Economic Area (‘EEA States’) from 21 April 2021.

(2)

Regulation (EU) 2016/429 establishes a new legislative framework for the prevention and control of diseases transmissible to animals or humans. Article 226(1) provides that Norway and Iceland may adopt national measures to prevent the introduction, or control the spread, of a disease other than a listed disease referred to in Article 9(1)(d) of that Regulation where that disease constitutes a significant risk for the health of aquatic animals in that EEA State. Diseases other than a listed disease referred to in Article 9(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 include aquatic animal diseases not included in any of the categories of listed diseases under Article 9(1) (‘non-listed diseases’) and the listed disease Koi herpes virus disease for which there is a need for surveillance within the EEA pursuant to Article 9(1)(e) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429.

(3)

Such national measures must not exceed the limits of what is appropriate and necessary in order to prevent the introduction, or control the spread, of the disease in question within Norway or Iceland as relevant.

(4)

Article 226(2), (3) and (4) of the same Regulation requires Norway and Iceland to notify the EFTA Surveillance Authority (‘the Authority’) in advance of any proposed national measures and provides that the Authority shall approve such national measures where the establishment of movement restrictions between Norway or Iceland and other EEA States is necessary in order to prevent the introduction, or control the spread, of the relevant disease, taking into account the overall impact on the EEA of the disease in question and of the measures taken.

(5)

In order to protect the health status of Norway and Iceland insofar as either country has national measures approved for a particular disease pursuant to Article 226(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, consignments of species of aquatic animals which are susceptible to the disease in question and which are moved to, and within, Norway or Iceland (‘relevant consignments’) are required to originate from an EEA State, or part thereof, which is free from that disease. Such consignments are to be accompanied by an official certificate attesting to this disease-free status.

(6)

Pursuant to Article 13(2)(c) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/990, operators shall ensure that animal health certificates for relevant consignments state that aquatic animals of the relevant species comply with the health guarantees necessary to comply with those national measures.

(7)

Animal health certificates attesting as to the place of origin of relevant consignments are included in the relevant model official certificates for the movement of aquatic animals between EEA States set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2236 and are to be used in the case of relevant consignments.

(8)

Norwegian or Icelandic national measures approved pursuant to Article 226(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 should apply only for as long as they continue to be appropriate and necessary in order to prevent the introduction, or control the spread, of the relevant disease in the relevant country. To allow the Authority to make a regular assessment of the appropriateness and necessity of any such measures, and to provide an opportunity to amend them if necessary, Norway and Iceland should send an annual report to the Authority detailing the functioning of the measures in the previous year. Any such annual reports and other relevant reporting should include certain information set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2002.

(9)

Eradication programmes approved in accordance with Article 226(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 should lead to an improvement in the disease situation within a reasonable period of time. In the interest of coherence, this period of time should not be longer than the period within which an eradication programme for a disease referred to in Article 9(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 is to be completed. The period of application of an eradication programme approved in accordance with Article 226(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 should, therefore, not exceed six years from the date of its initial approval by the Authority. In duly justified cases, and at the request of Norway or Iceland as relevant, the Authority should have the possibility of extending the period of application of the eradication programme for an additional six-year period. This maximum period of application is laid down in order to give an adequate period of time within which an eradication programme may be completed, whilst at the same time preventing the disproportionate and long-lasting disruption of movements of aquatic animals within the EEA.

(10)

By Decision No 58/16/COL-D of 3 March 2016 (‘Decision No 58/16/COL-D’), the Authority approved national measures by Norway designed to limit the impact of infection with Gyrodactylus salaris in areas of Norway considered free from that disease, pursuant to Article 43 of Directive 2006/88/EC. (5) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 repeals Directive 2006/88/EC, being the legal basis for both Decision No 58/16/COL-D and certain Acts (Regulation (EC) No 1251/2008 (6) and Commission Decision No 2010/221/EC (7)) to which that Decision refers. For the purpose of clarity, Decision No 58/16/COL-D is therefore repealed by this Decision.

(11)

The Authority has, in close cooperation with the European Commission, assessed the national measures designed to limit the impact of infection with Gyrodactylus salaris (a non-listed disease) notified by Norway pursuant to Article 226(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (Doc No 1207866), taking into account the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (8) and the overall impact on the EEA of the disease in question and of the notified measures.

(12)

The Authority is satisfied that Norway has designed an effective eradication programme for those areas of Norway which remain infected with Gyrodactylus salaris. The Authority is further satisfied that Norway has maintained the disease-free status of those areas of Norway considered free from Gyrodactylus salaris under Decision No 58/16/COL-D and demonstrated disease-free status in all other areas of Norway not covered by the eradication programme. Finally, the Authority is satisfied that Norway has demonstrated the appropriateness and necessity of the national measures establishing movement restrictions in order to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, of the disease. The national measures are therefore approved by the Authority by this Decision in accordance with Article 226(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429.

(13)

The Authority, by its Delegated Decision No 201/21/COL (Document No 1212279), duly submitted the draft Decision to the Committee in accordance with Articles 226(3) and 266(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429. The Committee approved the draft Decision. Accordingly, the draft Decision is in accordance with the opinion of the Committee,

(a)

originate from a EEA State or part thereof which is approved as free from the disease in question; and

(b)

are accompanied by an official certificate issued by the competent authority of the EEA State of origin, drawn up in accordance with an appropriate model animal health certificate set out in Chapters 1, 2, 3 or 5 of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2236, specifying, in accordance with Article 13(2)(c) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/990, that the health guarantees necessary to comply with the relevant Norwegian or Icelandic national measures are complied with.

(a)

include information on measures taken in the previous calendar year to maintain any relevant disease-free status, including at least the information set out in Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2002;

(b)

include information on the evolution of any relevant eradication programme, including details of the testing which has been carried out in the previous calendar year and at least the information set out in Section 4 of Annex V to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2002; and

(c)

outline the reasons why the relevant disease-free status or eradication programme should continue to apply for a further calendar year. Particular reference shall be made to the availability of treatments, vaccines, disease resistant stocks, or other relevant developments should one or more of these have become a viable option for the prevention and control of infection with Gyrodactylus salaris since the submission of the previous report.