Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 13 Establishment of a list of territories and third countries

1. The Commission shall, by means of an implementing act, adopt a list of territories and third countries which have made an application for entry on the list in which they demonstrate that for pet animals of the species listed in Part A of Annex I, they apply rules, the content and effect of which are the same as those laid down in Section 1 of Chapter II, this Section and Section 2 of Chapter VI and where applicable the rules adopted pursuant to those rules.

2. The Commission shall, by means of an implementing act, adopt a list of territories and third countries which have made an application for entry on the list in which they demonstrate that for pet animals of the species listed in Part A of Annex I, they fulfil at least the following criteria:

(a) the notification of cases of rabies to the competent authorities is obligatory;

(b) an effective surveillance system for rabies has been in place for at least two years prior to the application, a minimum requirement of which is an on-going early detection programme to ensure investigation and reporting of animals suspected of having rabies;

(c) the structure and organisation of their veterinary and control services, and the powers of such services, the supervision to which they are subject and the means at their disposal, including staff and laboratory capacity, are sufficient to:

(i)

apply and enforce national legislation on the non-commercial movement of pet animals effectively; and

(ii)

guarantee the validity of the identification documents in the format provided for in Article 25 and issued in accordance with Article 26;

(d) rules on the prevention and control of rabies are in force and implemented effectively to minimise the risk of infection of pet animals, including rules on imports of pet animals from other countries or territories, and where appropriate, on:

(i)

the control of the stray dog and cat population;

(ii)

the vaccination of domestic animals against rabies, in particular where rabies is present in vampire bats; and

(iii)

the control and eradication of rabies in wildlife;

(e) rules are in force on the licensing and marketing of anti-rabies vaccines.

3. The implementing acts referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 41(2).

On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency relating to risks to public or animal health, the Commission shall adopt immediately applicable implementing acts updating the list of territories or third countries referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 41(3).