Transcript Health and Consumers Directorate-General (DG SANCO)

1st GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON VETERINARY LEGISLATION
“Modernising veterinary legislation for good governance”
DJERBA, Tunisia, 7-9 December 2010
THE EU VETERINARY
LEGISLATION
Dr Alberto Laddomada
Head of Unit – Animal Health
DG Health and Consumers, European Commission
The European Union
27 Member States
over 4 million km²
500 million citizens
23 official languages
All the MSs have had a
veterinary legislation
for a long time, and
their own organisation
The European Union
Internal trade  
Animal production 
First world importer
High health status
Enlargement
The configuration of the EU
led to progressive and
targeted harmonisation of
the veterinary legislations
A Single Market for goods (1993)
Free movement of goods, which may be
restricted only in exceptional cases (e.g.
animal or public health, environment, or
consumer protection risks)
Once allowed into the EU, goods including
live animals and animal products can be
traded in any Member States
Need for a fully harmonised legislation
in animal and veterinary public health
Types of legislation
Treaty: basis for rest of EU legislation
Regulation: directly applicable by Member
States Competent Authorities
Directive: needs transposition into national
legislation
Decision: directly applicable for addressee
- administration, institution, private body
EU legal support - Harmonised legislation
“HORIZONTAL” LEGISLATION
Veterinary checks in EU trade
Veterinary certification for EU trade
and export
Identification/registration of holdings
and animals
Imports – BIP (border inspection
posts)
Bilateral vet agreements with some
third countries
EU legal support - Harmonised legislation
“VERTICAL” LEGISLATION
Harmonised veterinary public health
standards
Harmonised approach to the
control/eradication of major animal
diseases including zoonoses
Financial support to MS to
ensure/improve animal health
Standing Committee on the
Food Chain and Animal Health:
all Member States represented
Major role in AH/PH
crisis management
(In case of emergencies
the Commission may
adopt interim measures
without the need of
a prior SCoFCAH opinion)
Rapid decision making process
Example of legal architecture
The Food law
• Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 = Basic law to
create a general frame for global consistency
and for general requirements
• Reg852/2004 - Hygiene of foodstuffs,
Reg853/2004 - Hygiene for foods of animal
origin
• Reg882/2004 – General rules Official controls
Reg854/2004 – Specific rules Official controls
Treaty of Lisbon
Entry into force on 1 December 2009
New distinction of secondary acts, for
new basic acts or if basic acts are
amended
“Delegated Acts” – Article 290
Amending non essential elements of basic
acts: the European Commission decides
alone, after consultation of an expert group
“Implementing Acts” – Article 291
For uniform rules of implementation of
basic or delegated acts: the SCOFCAH is still
used for decision making as the voice of the
EU Member States
The future legal architecture
The Animal Health law
• The main instrument to achieve the
objectives of the Animal Health
Strategy
• Replace the existing complex set of
related acts by a single, simple and
coherent legal framework
The future legal architecture
The Animal Health law
• A general frame for global consistency
and for general requirements
gradually supplemented by a number
of delegated and/or implementing
acts
• Will be developed under the new
Lisbon Treaty legal framework
The future legal architecture
The Animal Health law
• Simplify, clarify, more coherence,
suppress duplication and grey areas
• More consultation, more accessibility,
more responsibility
• Less administrative burden and
compliance costs
• Based on the animal health strategy:
prevention, flexibility, compatibility with
OIE Standards
Animal Health Law specific
objectives – simplification
General issues:
x duplication
x “grey areas”
< administrative burdens, administrative
and compliance costs
> OIE convergence
Animal Health Law specific
objectives – simplification
Specific issues:
Identification and registration of animals
Animal health conditions related to
imports
Definition of epidemiological unit and
holding
Animal Health Law specific
objectives –prevention
Increased focus on prevention
Biosecurity
Surveillance system
Principles of early detection and notification
system
Links between preventive approaches, such
as surveillance and biosecurity
Surveillance network (fully functional
services in line with the OIE standards,
expertise incl. labs, institutions)
Animal Health Law specific
objectives –prevention
Responsibilities of different actors
(keepers, operators, competent
authorities)
Disease control rules and their relation to
trade
Find out more
Visit our website
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm
Thank you very much
for your attention