(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) 2026/985 (3) following changes in the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever in Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and Spain.

(4) Since the date of adoption of that Implementing Regulation amending Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, Germany, Italy and Poland have notified the Commission of new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals, as well as Slovakia has notified the Commission of a new outbreak in domestic pigs.

(5) In May 2026, an outbreak of African swine fever in a wild porcine animal was observed in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany in an area currently listed as restricted zone I in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594. This new outbreak of African swine fever in a wild porcine animal constitutes an increased level of risk, so the area of Germany currently listed as a restricted zone I and affected by that outbreak, 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.

(6) In April 2026, two outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont regions in Italy in areas currently listed as restricted zones II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to areas currently listed as restricted zones I in that Annex. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals constitute an increased level of risk, so the areas of Italy 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.

(7) In April 2026, two outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the Zachodniopomorskie region in Poland in an area currectly listed as restricted zone I in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals constitute an increased level of risk, so the area of Poland currently listed as restricted zones I and affected by those outbreaks, should, therefore, now be listed as 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 those outbreaks.

(8) In April 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the Łódzkie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie 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 areas currently listed as restricted zones I in that Annex. 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) In May 2026, an outbreak of African swine fever in kept porcine animals was observed in the Banskobystrický County in Slovakia in an area currently listed as a restricted zone II 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 Slovakia currently listed as a restricted zone II 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.

(10) In addition, since the date of adoption of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/985, an error has been detected in certain entries for Germany in Part I of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, as amended by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/985, which needs to be corrected. Recital 13 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/985 mentions that on the basis of the information and justification provided by Germany, and taking into account the effectiveness of the disease control measures for African swine fever, certain areas in the State of Hesse in Germany should have been listed in Part I of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594. However, due to an error in the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/985, amending Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, certain areas were erroneously not listed as restricted zones I, so they must be added to that Annex. This error should, therefore, be corrected.

(11) 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 Germany, Italy, Poland and Slovakia set out in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should be amended.

(12) 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.

(13) 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 Annexes I and II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 take effect as soon as possible.

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