(fra kommisjonsforordningen)

(1) African swine fever is an infectious viral disease affecting kept and wild porcine 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 of those consignments to third countries.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 (2) lays down special disease control measures for African swine fever to be applied for a limited period of time by the Member States which are listed, or have areas listed, in Annexes I and II thereto. That Implementing Regulation lays down rules, inter alia, on the listing at Union level in Annex I thereto of restricted zones I, II and III following outbreaks of African swine fever, and rules on the listing at Union level in Annex II thereto of areas established as infected zone or restricted zone, comprising protection and surveillance zones, following an outbreak of that disease in a previously disease-free Member State or zone.

(3) Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 was last amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1795 (3) following changes in the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever in Croatia, Italy and Poland.

(4) Since the date of adoption of that Implementing Regulation amending Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, Italy and Poland have notified the Commission of new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals, and Croatia has notified the Commission of new outbreaks in kept porcine animals.

(5) In July 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in kept porcine animals were observed in the Osjecko-Baranjska county in Croatia in areas currently listed as restricted zone III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to restricted zones I in that Annex. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in kept porcine animals constitute an increased level of risk, so the areas of Croatia currently listed as restricted zones I should therefore now be listed as restricted zones III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones I and III should also be redefined to take account of those outbreaks.

(6) In July 2026, an outbreak of African swine fever in kept porcine animals was observed in the Osjecko-Baranjska county in Croatia in an area currently listed as a restricted zone I in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594. This new outbreak of African swine fever in kept porcine animals constitutes an increased level of risk, so the area of Croatia currently listed as a restricted zone I and affected by that outbreak should therefore now be listed as a restricted zone III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones II and III should also be redefined to take account of that outbreak.

(7) In July 2026, an outbreak of African swine fever in a wild porcine animal was observed in the Tuscany region in Italy in an area currently listed as a restricted zone II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to a restricted zone I. This new outbreak of African swine fever in a wild porcine animal constitutes an increased level of risk, so the area of Italy currently listed as a restricted zone I should therefore now be listed as a restricted zone II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones I and II should also be redefined to take account of that outbreak.

(8) In July 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the Podkarpackie, Pomorskie and Zachodniopomorskie regions in Poland in areas currently listed as restricted zones II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to restricted zones I. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals constitute an increased level of risk, so the areas of Poland currently listed as restricted zones I should therefore now be listed as restricted zones II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones I and II should also be redefined to take account of those outbreaks.

(9) Accordingly, in order to take account of these recent developments in the epidemiological situation concerning African swine fever in the Union, and to proactively combat the risks associated with a further spread of that disease, the entries concerning restricted zones in Croatia, Italy and Poland set out in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should be amended.

(10) As the situation as regards African swine fever is very dynamic in the Union, when demarcating these new restricted zones, account has also been taken of the epidemiological situation in areas surrounding these outbreaks.

(11) Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the serious risks of the spread of African swine fever, it is important that the amendments made by this Implementing Regulation to Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 take effect as soon as possible.

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