Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/406 of 24 February 2025 amending Decision 2013/255/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENL series
2025/406 25.2.2025
(1) On 31 May 2013, the Council adopted Decision 2013/255/CFSP(1).
(2) Following the fall of al-Assad’s regime in Syria, in its conclusions of 19 December 2024, the European Council stressed the historic opportunity to reunite and rebuild the country and underlined the importance of an inclusive and Syrian-led political process that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, in line with the core principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015).
(3) In light of the fall of al-Assad’s regime, which was responsible for the violent repression of the Syrian civil population, and following the invitation by the European Council to the Commission and the High Representative to submit options for measures to support Syria, the Council has reviewed the restrictive measures set out in Decision 2013/255/CFSP.
(4) On the basis of this review, and with a view to encouraging an inclusive transition in Syria and to support humanitarian aid delivery, economic recovery, reconstruction and stabilisation, as well as facilitating the return of Syrian nationals to Syria along with their belongings, the Council considers that a number of restrictive measures should be suspended.
(5) To ensure the effectiveness of the suspensions of the restrictive measures, the Council considers that six entities should be removed from the list of natural and legal persons, entities or bodies subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources. The assets of one of those entities should remain frozen.
(6) In this regard, the Council also considers it appropriate to introduce certain exemptions to the prohibition of establishing banking relations between Syrian banks and financial institutions within the territories of the Member States.
(7) Moreover, the Council should introduce an exemption to the prohibition on the sale, supply, transfer or export of luxury goods to Syria.
(8) In order to strengthen efforts aimed at humanitarian aid delivery, economic recovery, reconstruction and stabilisation, the Council should remove the reference to an expiration date for the humanitarian exemption, as outlined in Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1496(2), which concerns an exemption from asset freeze measures applicable to, and from the restrictions on making funds and economic resources available to, natural or legal persons, entities or bodies designated under Decision 2013/255/CFSP, for the benefit of certain categories of actors.
(9) The Council will closely follow the developments in Syria, particularly as regards the concerns expressed in the European Council conclusions of 19 December 2024, to examine the appropriateness of the continued suspension of and exemptions to the restrictive measures concerned.
(10) In this context, the Council notes that the delimitation of maritime zones should be addressed through dialogue and negotiation in good faith, in full respect of international law and in accordance with the principle of good neighbourly relations. Any violation of neighbouring States’ sovereign rights within their maritime zones in accordance with law of the sea, will be duly considered in the context of the constant review of the restrictive measures.
(11) Further action by the Union is needed in order to implement certain measures in this Decision.
(12) Decision 2013/255/CFSP should therefore be amended accordingly,
(1) Article 13 is replaced by the following:‘Article 131.   The sale, supply, transfer or export of luxury goods to Syria by nationals of Member States or from the territories of Member States or using their flag vessels or aircraft, shall be prohibited, whether originating or not in their territories.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this Article.2.   The prohibition set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to the activities mentioned therein provided that such sale, supply, transfer or export of luxury goods is for personal use of natural persons travelling from the European Union or members of their immediate families travelling with them, and limited to personal effects, household effects or vehicles owned by those individuals and not intended for sale in Syria.’;
(2) in Article 22, the following paragraphs are added:‘3.   The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the activities therein provided that such activities, including ancillary activities, are performed for the purpose of providing assistance to the Syrian population, as regards the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance or to support other activities that support basic human needs, the provision of basic services, or other civilian purposes.4.   The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the activities therein provided that such activities, including ancillary activities, are performed for the purpose of providing assistance to the Syrian population, as regards reconstruction, stabilisation, restoring economic activity, institution-building, the provision of basic services, or other civilian purposes.5.   The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the activities mentioned therein provided that they are performed in relation to activities referred to in Articles 5, 7a, 8, 11, 14, 17, or 25.’;
(3) in Article 28, the following paragraph is added:‘16.   All funds, other financial assets and economic resources, belonging to, or owned, held or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the entities listed in Annex III that are frozen as of 27 February 2012 shall remain frozen.’;
(4) in Article 28a(1), the words ‘until 1 June 2025’ are deleted;
(5) the following Article is inserted:‘Article 28bThe measures set out in the following Articles shall be suspended: Article 5, 6, 7a, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, and 25.’
(6) Article 29 is replaced by the following:‘Article 29No claims, including for compensation or indemnification or any other such claim, such as a claim of set-off, fines or a claim under a guarantee, claims for extension or payment of a bond, financial guarantee, including claims arising from letters of credit and similar instruments in connection with any contract or transaction the performance of which was affected, directly or indirectly, wholly or in part, by reason of measures covered by this Decision, shall be granted to the designated persons or entities listed in Annexes I, II and III, or any other person or entity in Syria, including the Government of Syria, its public bodies, corporations and agencies, or any person or entity claiming through or for the benefit of any such person or entity.’;
(7) in Article 30, paragraph 1, is replaced by the following:‘1.   The Council, acting upon a proposal by a Member State or the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, shall establish and amend the lists in Annexes I, II and III.’;
(8) Article 31 is replaced by the following:‘Article 311.   Annexes I, II and III shall include the grounds for listing the persons and entities concerned.2.   Annexes I, II and III shall also contain, where available, the information necessary to identify the persons or entities concerned. With regard to persons, such information may include names, including aliases, date and place of birth, nationality, passport and identity card numbers, gender, address if known, and function or profession. With regard to entities, such information may include names, place and date of registration, registration number and place of business.’;
(9) Article 34 is replaced by the following:‘Article 341.   This Decision shall apply until 1 June 2025. It shall be kept under constant review. It may be renewed, or amended as appropriate, if the Council deems that its objectives have not been met.2.   Without prejudice to the outcome of the review referred to in paragraph 1, the prolongation of suspensions referred to in Article 28b, as regards Article 5, 6, 7a, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, and 25 shall be reviewed at regular intervals, and at least every 12 months, or at the urgent request of any Member State, the High Representative or the High Representative with the Commission’s support.3.   The Council underlines the importance of preventing the violation of the sovereign rights of Member States within their maritime zones in accordance with the law of the sea. At the request of a Member State, any such violation shall immediately trigger a discussion for the reversal of the easing of restrictive measures, in the context of the constant review of the restrictive measures.’;
(10) the Annexes are amended as set out in the Annex to this Decision.
30. Industrial Bank;
31. Popular Credit Bank;
32. Saving Bank;
33. Agricultural Cooperative Bank;
38. Central Bank of Syria;
50. Syrian Arab Airlines.
Name Identifying Information Reasons Date of listing
1. Central Bank of Syria Sabah Bahrat Square, Damascus, SyriaPostal address: Altjreda al Maghrebeh Square, Damascus, Syria, P.O. Box: 2254Tel: + 961011 – 9985Email: [email protected]:https://www.cb.gov.sy/ Provides financial support to the Syrian regime. 27.2.2012’
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 29 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
Whereas:
(1) On 31 May 2013, the Council adopted Decision 2013/255/CFSP (1).
(2) Following the fall of al-Assad’s regime in Syria, in its conclusions of 19 December 2024, the European Council stressed the historic opportunity to reunite and rebuild the country and underlined the importance of an inclusive and Syrian-led political process that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, in line with the core principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015).
(3) In light of the fall of al-Assad’s regime, which was responsible for the violent repression of the Syrian civil population, and following the invitation by the European Council to the Commission and the High Representative to submit options for measures to support Syria, the Council has reviewed the restrictive measures set out in Decision 2013/255/CFSP.
(4) On the basis of this review, and with a view to encouraging an inclusive transition in Syria and to support humanitarian aid delivery, economic recovery, reconstruction and stabilisation, as well as facilitating the return of Syrian nationals to Syria along with their belongings, the Council considers that a number of restrictive measures should be suspended.
(5) To ensure the effectiveness of the suspensions of the restrictive measures, the Council considers that six entities should be removed from the list of natural and legal persons, entities or bodies subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources. The assets of one of those entities should remain frozen.
(6) In this regard, the Council also considers it appropriate to introduce certain exemptions to the prohibition of establishing banking relations between Syrian banks and financial institutions within the territories of the Member States.
(7) Moreover, the Council should introduce an exemption to the prohibition on the sale, supply, transfer or export of luxury goods to Syria.
(8) In order to strengthen efforts aimed at humanitarian aid delivery, economic recovery, reconstruction and stabilisation, the Council should remove the reference to an expiration date for the humanitarian exemption, as outlined in Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1496 (2), which concerns an exemption from asset freeze measures applicable to, and from the restrictions on making funds and economic resources available to, natural or legal persons, entities or bodies designated under Decision 2013/255/CFSP, for the benefit of certain categories of actors.
(9) The Council will closely follow the developments in Syria, particularly as regards the concerns expressed in the European Council conclusions of 19 December 2024, to examine the appropriateness of the continued suspension of and exemptions to the restrictive measures concerned.
(10) In this context, the Council notes that the delimitation of maritime zones should be addressed through dialogue and negotiation in good faith, in full respect of international law and in accordance with the principle of good neighbourly relations. Any violation of neighbouring States’ sovereign rights within their maritime zones in accordance with law of the sea, will be duly considered in the context of the constant review of the restrictive measures.
(11) Further action by the Union is needed in order to implement certain measures in this Decision.
(12) Decision 2013/255/CFSP should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Decision 2013/255/CFSP is amended as follows:

(1) Article 13 is replaced by the following:
‘Article 13 1. The sale, supply, transfer or export of luxury goods to Syria by nationals of Member States or from the territories of Member States or using their flag vessels or aircraft, shall be prohibited, whether originating or not in their territories.
The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this Article. 2. The prohibition set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to the activities mentioned therein provided that such sale, supply, transfer or export of luxury goods is for personal use of natural persons travelling from the European Union or members of their immediate families travelling with them, and limited to personal effects, household effects or vehicles owned by those individuals and not intended for sale in Syria.’
;
(2) in Article 22, the following paragraphs are added:
‘3. The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the activities therein provided that such activities, including ancillary activities, are performed for the purpose of providing assistance to the Syrian population, as regards the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance or to support other activities that support basic human needs, the provision of basic services, or other civilian purposes. 4. The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the activities therein provided that such activities, including ancillary activities, are performed for the purpose of providing assistance to the Syrian population, as regards reconstruction, stabilisation, restoring economic activity, institution-building, the provision of basic services, or other civilian purposes. 5. The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the activities mentioned therein provided that they are performed in relation to activities referred to in Articles 5, 7a, 8, 11, 14, 17, or 25.’
;
(3) in Article 28, the following paragraph is added:
‘16. All funds, other financial assets and economic resources, belonging to, or owned, held or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the entities listed in Annex III that are frozen as of 27 February 2012 shall remain frozen.’
;
(4) in Article 28a(1), the words ‘until 1 June 2025’ are deleted;
(5) the following Article is inserted:
‘Article 28b
The measures set out in the following Articles shall be suspended: Article 5, 6, 7a, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, and 25.’
(6) Article 29 is replaced by the following:
‘Article 29
No claims, including for compensation or indemnification or any other such claim, such as a claim of set-off, fines or a claim under a guarantee, claims for extension or payment of a bond, financial guarantee, including claims arising from letters of credit and similar instruments in connection with any contract or transaction the performance of which was affected, directly or indirectly, wholly or in part, by reason of measures covered by this Decision, shall be granted to the designated persons or entities listed in Annexes I, II and III, or any other person or entity in Syria, including the Government of Syria, its public bodies, corporations and agencies, or any person or entity claiming through or for the benefit of any such person or entity.’
;
(7) in Article 30, paragraph 1, is replaced by the following:
‘1. The Council, acting upon a proposal by a Member State or the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, shall establish and amend the lists in Annexes I, II and III.’
;
(8) Article 31 is replaced by the following:
‘Article 31 1. Annexes I, II and III shall include the grounds for listing the persons and entities concerned. 2. Annexes I, II and III shall also contain, where available, the information necessary to identify the persons or entities concerned. With regard to persons, such information may include names, including aliases, date and place of birth, nationality, passport and identity card numbers, gender, address if known, and function or profession. With regard to entities, such information may include names, place and date of registration, registration number and place of business.’
;
(9) Article 34 is replaced by the following:
‘Article 34 1. This Decision shall apply until 1 June 2025. It shall be kept under constant review. It may be renewed, or amended as appropriate, if the Council deems that its objectives have not been met. 2. Without prejudice to the outcome of the review referred to in paragraph 1, the prolongation of suspensions referred to in Article 28b, as regards Article 5, 6, 7a, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, and 25 shall be reviewed at regular intervals, and at least every 12 months, or at the urgent request of any Member State, the High Representative or the High Representative with the Commission’s support. 3. The Council underlines the importance of preventing the violation of the sovereign rights of Member States within their maritime zones in accordance with the law of the sea. At the request of a Member State, any such violation shall immediately trigger a discussion for the reversal of the easing of restrictive measures, in the context of the constant review of the restrictive measures.’
;
(10) the Annexes are amended as set out in the Annex to this Decision.

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

(1)
In Annex I to Decision 2013/255/CFSP, in Section ‘B. (Entities)’ the following six entries are deleted: 30. Industrial Bank; 31. Popular Credit Bank; 32. Saving Bank; 33. Agricultural Cooperative Bank; 38. Central Bank of Syria; 50. Syrian Arab Airlines.

(2)
The following Annex is added as Annex III to Decision 2013/255/CFSP:
‘ANNEX III
List of entities referred to in Article 28(16)
Name
Identifying Information
Reasons
Date of listing 1. Central Bank of Syria
Sabah Bahrat Square, Damascus, Syria
Postal address: Altjreda al Maghrebeh Square, Damascus, Syria, P.O. Box: 2254
Tel: + 961011 – 9985
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.cb.gov.sy/
Provides financial support to the Syrian regime.
27.2.2012’

Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/404 of 24 February 2025 appointing the European Union Special Representative for Central Asia

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENL series
2025/404 25.2.2025
(1) On 13 June 2005, the Council agreed to appoint a European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia(1).
(2) On 21 June 2021, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2021/1013(2)appointing Ms Terhi HAKALA as the EUSR for Central Asia.
(3) On 6 February 2023, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2023/260(3)extending the mandate of Ms HAKALA as the EUSR for Central Asia. The EUSR’s mandate expires on 28 February 2025.
(4) Ms HAKALA has submitted her resignation, which took effect on 31 December 2024.
(5) A new EUSR for Central Asia should be appointed for a period of 24 months.
(6) The EUSR will implement the mandate in the context of a situation which may deteriorate and could impede the achievement of the objectives of the Union’s external action as set out in Article 21 of the Treaty,
(a) promoting relations between the Union and the countries of Central Asia on the basis of common values and interests as set out in relevant agreements;
(b) contributing to strengthening stability and cooperation between the countries in the region;
(c) contributing to strengthening democracy, the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Central Asia;
(d) addressing key threats, especially specific problems with direct implications for the Union;
(e) enhancing the Union’s effectiveness and visibility in the region, including through closer coordination with other relevant partners and international organisations, such as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations (UN).
(a) promote overall Union political coordination in Central Asia and help to ensure consistency of the external actions of the Union in the region;
(b) contribute to the implementation of the Union Strategy for a stronger partnership with Central Asia, complemented by relevant Council conclusions and subsequent progress reports on the implementation of the Union Strategy on Central Asia, and of the Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia,
(c) make recommendations and report to relevant Council bodies on a regular basis;
(d) assist the Council in further developing a comprehensive policy towards Central Asia;
(e) support the regular organisation of high-level political meetings between the Union and countries of Central Asia;
(f) closely follow political developments in Central Asia by developing and maintaining close contacts with governments, parliaments, the judiciary, civil society and mass media;
(g) encourage Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to cooperate on regional issues of common interest;
(h) develop appropriate contacts and cooperation with the main interested actors in the region, and all relevant regional and international organisations, taking into account the growing presence of third countries in the region;
(i) contribute to the implementation of the Union’s human rights policy in the region in cooperation with the EUSR for Human Rights, including the Union Guidelines on human rights and in particular the Union Guidelines on children and armed conflict and the Union Guidelines on violence against women and girls and combating all forms of discrimination against them, and to the implementation of Union policy regarding UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, including by monitoring and reporting on developments as well as formulating recommendations in that regard;
(j) contribute, in close cooperation with the OSCE and the UN, towards conflict prevention and resolution by developing contacts with the authorities and other local actors such as non-governmental organisations, political parties, minorities, religious groups and their leaders;
(k) provide input to the formulation of aspects of the Common Foreign and Security Policy with respect to Central Asia relating to: connectivity, including the Global Gateway strategy; energy security; border security; countering of serious crime, including narcotics and trafficking in human beings; and water resource management, environment and climate change;
(l) promote regional security in Central Asia in the broader geopolitical context, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and developments in Afghanistan;
(m) support Union outreach and demarches to the countries of Central Asia, including on the prevention of circumvention of restrictive measures;
(n) support Union outreach and demarches to the countries of Central Asia concerning respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States, including within the framework of all regional and international fora.
(a) establishing a specific security plan based on guidance from the EEAS, including specific physical, organisational and procedural security measures governing the management of the secure movement of personnel to, and within, the area of responsibility and the management of security incidents, and by establishing a contingency plan and an evacuation plan;
(b) ensuring that all personnel deployed outside the Union are covered by high-risk insurance, as required by the conditions in the area of responsibility;
(c) ensuring that all personnel to be deployed outside the Union, including locally contracted personnel, have received appropriate security training before or upon arriving in the area of responsibility, based on the risk ratings assigned to that area by the EEAS;
(d) ensuring that all agreed recommendations made following regular security assessments are implemented, and providing the High Representative, the Council and the Commission with written reports on the implementation of those recommendations and on other security issues within the framework of the regular progress reports and the final comprehensive mandate implementation report referred to in Article 15.
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 33, in conjunction with Article 31(2) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
Whereas:
(1) On 13 June 2005, the Council agreed to appoint a European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia (1).
(2) On 21 June 2021, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2021/1013 (2) appointing Ms Terhi HAKALA as the EUSR for Central Asia.
(3) On 6 February 2023, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2023/260 (3) extending the mandate of Ms HAKALA as the EUSR for Central Asia. The EUSR’s mandate expires on 28 February 2025.
(4) Ms HAKALA has submitted her resignation, which took effect on 31 December 2024.
(5) A new EUSR for Central Asia should be appointed for a period of 24 months.
(6) The EUSR will implement the mandate in the context of a situation which may deteriorate and could impede the achievement of the objectives of the Union’s external action as set out in Article 21 of the Treaty,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

European Union Special Representative

Mr Eduards STIPRAIS is hereby appointed as the European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2027. The Council may decide that the EUSR’s mandate (the ‘mandate’) be extended or terminated earlier, on the basis of an assessment by the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and on a proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (the ‘High Representative’).

Policy objectives

The mandate shall be based on the Union’s policy objectives in Central Asia. Those objectives include:

(a) promoting relations between the Union and the countries of Central Asia on the basis of common values and interests as set out in relevant agreements;
(b) contributing to strengthening stability and cooperation between the countries in the region;
(c) contributing to strengthening democracy, the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Central Asia;
(d) addressing key threats, especially specific problems with direct implications for the Union;
(e) enhancing the Union’s effectiveness and visibility in the region, including through closer coordination with other relevant partners and international organisations, such as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations (UN).

Mandate

1. In order to achieve the policy objectives set out in Article 2, the mandate shall be to:
(a) promote overall Union political coordination in Central Asia and help to ensure consistency of the external actions of the Union in the region;
(b) contribute to the implementation of the Union Strategy for a stronger partnership with Central Asia, complemented by relevant Council conclusions and subsequent progress reports on the implementation of the Union Strategy on Central Asia, and of the Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia,
(c) make recommendations and report to relevant Council bodies on a regular basis;
(d) assist the Council in further developing a comprehensive policy towards Central Asia;
(e) support the regular organisation of high-level political meetings between the Union and countries of Central Asia;
(f) closely follow political developments in Central Asia by developing and maintaining close contacts with governments, parliaments, the judiciary, civil society and mass media;
(g) encourage Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to cooperate on regional issues of common interest;
(h) develop appropriate contacts and cooperation with the main interested actors in the region, and all relevant regional and international organisations, taking into account the growing presence of third countries in the region;
(i) contribute to the implementation of the Union’s human rights policy in the region in cooperation with the EUSR for Human Rights, including the Union Guidelines on human rights and in particular the Union Guidelines on children and armed conflict and the Union Guidelines on violence against women and girls and combating all forms of discrimination against them, and to the implementation of Union policy regarding UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, including by monitoring and reporting on developments as well as formulating recommendations in that regard;
(j) contribute, in close cooperation with the OSCE and the UN, towards conflict prevention and resolution by developing contacts with the authorities and other local actors such as non-governmental organisations, political parties, minorities, religious groups and their leaders;
(k) provide input to the formulation of aspects of the Common Foreign and Security Policy with respect to Central Asia relating to: connectivity, including the Global Gateway strategy; energy security; border security; countering of serious crime, including narcotics and trafficking in human beings; and water resource management, environment and climate change;
(l) promote regional security in Central Asia in the broader geopolitical context, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and developments in Afghanistan;
(m) support Union outreach and demarches to the countries of Central Asia, including on the prevention of circumvention of restrictive measures;
(n) support Union outreach and demarches to the countries of Central Asia concerning respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States, including within the framework of all regional and international fora.

2. The EUSR shall support the work of the High Representative and maintain an overview of all activities of the Union in the region.

Implementation of the mandate

1. The EUSR shall be responsible for the implementation of the mandate, acting under the authority of the High Representative.

2. The PSC shall maintain a privileged link with the EUSR and shall be the EUSR’s primary point of contact within the Council. The PSC shall provide the EUSR with strategic guidance and political direction within the framework of the mandate, without prejudice to the powers of the High Representative.

3. The EUSR shall work in close coordination with the relevant departments of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Financing

1. The financial reference amount intended to cover the expenditure related to the mandate (the ‘expenditure’) for the period from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2027 shall be EUR 2 719 777,34.
2. The expenditure shall be managed in accordance with the procedures and rules applicable to the general budget of the Union.

3. The management of the expenditure shall be subject to a contract between the EUSR and the Commission. The EUSR shall be accountable to the Commission for all expenditure.

Composition of the EUSR’s team

1. Within the limits of the mandate and the corresponding financial means made available, the EUSR shall be responsible for assembling a team. The EUSR’s team shall include the expertise on specific policy issues as required by the mandate. The EUSR shall keep the Council and the Commission promptly informed of the composition of the EUSR’s team.

2. Member States, institutions of the Union and the EEAS may propose the secondment of personnel to work on the EUSR’s team. The salaries of such seconded personnel shall be covered by the seconding Member State, by the institution of the Union concerned or by the EEAS, as appropriate. Experts posted by Member States to the institutions of the Union or to the EEAS may also be seconded to work on the EUSR’s team. International contracted personnel shall have the nationality of a Member State.

3. All seconded personnel shall remain under the administrative authority of the seconding Member State, of the institution of the Union concerned or of the EEAS and shall carry out their duties and act in the interest of the mandate.

4. The EUSR’s team shall be co-located with the relevant EEAS departments or Union delegations in order to ensure the coherence and consistency of their respective activities.

Privileges and immunities of the EUSR and members of the EUSR’s team

The privileges, immunities and further guarantees relating to the EUSR and to the members of the EUSR’s team which are necessary for the completion and smooth functioning of the mandate shall be agreed with the host parties, as appropriate. Member States and the EEAS shall grant all necessary support to that effect.

Security of EU classified information

The EUSR and the members of the EUSR’s team shall respect the security principles and minimum standards established by Council Decision 2013/488/EU (4).

Access to information and logistical support

1. Member States, the Commission, the EEAS and the General Secretariat of the Council shall ensure that the EUSR is given access to any relevant information.

2. The Union delegations in the region and the Member States, as appropriate, shall provide logistical support to the EUSR and to the members of the EUSR’s team.

Access to documents, archives and data protection

1. The EUSR shall apply the rules laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5). The High Representative shall adopt relevant implementing rules concerning the EUSR.

2. The EUSR shall protect individuals with regard to the processing of their personal data in accordance with the rules laid down in Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6). The High Representative shall adopt relevant implementing rules concerning the EUSR.

Security

In accordance with the Union’s policy on the security of personnel deployed outside the Union in an operational capacity under Title V of the Treaty, the EUSR shall take all reasonably practicable measures, in conformity with the mandate and on the basis of the security situation in the area of responsibility, for the security of all personnel under the EUSR’s direct authority, in particular by:

(a) establishing a specific security plan based on guidance from the EEAS, including specific physical, organisational and procedural security measures governing the management of the secure movement of personnel to, and within, the area of responsibility and the management of security incidents, and by establishing a contingency plan and an evacuation plan;
(b) ensuring that all personnel deployed outside the Union are covered by high-risk insurance, as required by the conditions in the area of responsibility;
(c) ensuring that all personnel to be deployed outside the Union, including locally contracted personnel, have received appropriate security training before or upon arriving in the area of responsibility, based on the risk ratings assigned to that area by the EEAS;
(d) ensuring that all agreed recommendations made following regular security assessments are implemented, and providing the High Representative, the Council and the Commission with written reports on the implementation of those recommendations and on other security issues within the framework of the regular progress reports and the final comprehensive mandate implementation report referred to in Article 15.

Reporting

The EUSR shall regularly provide the High Representative with reports. The EUSR shall report regularly to the PSC, and as necessary to Council working parties. Regular reports shall be circulated through the COREU network. The EUSR may provide the Foreign Affairs Council with reports. In accordance with Article 36 of the Treaty, the EUSR may be involved in briefing the European Parliament.

Coordination

1. The EUSR shall contribute to the unity, consistency and effectiveness of the Union’s action and shall help ensure that all Union instruments and actions of the Member States are engaged consistently in order to attain the Union’s policy objectives. Liaison with Member States shall be sought where appropriate. The activities of the EUSR shall be coordinated with those of the relevant geographic department of the EEAS and with the Commission. The EUSR shall provide regular briefings to the missions of the Member States and to Union delegations.

2. In the field, the EUSR shall liaise closely with the relevant Member States’ Heads of Missions and the Heads of the Union delegations. They shall make every effort to assist the EUSR in the implementation of the mandate. The EUSR shall also liaise with other international and regional actors in the field.

Assistance in relation to claims

The EUSR and the members of the EUSR’s team shall provide assistance in responding to any claims and obligations arising from the mandates of the previous EUSRs for Central Asia, and shall provide administrative assistance and access to relevant documents for such purposes.

Review

The implementation of this Decision and its consistency with other contributions by the Union to the region shall be kept under regular review. The EUSR shall present the High Representative, the Council and the Commission with regular progress reports and with a final comprehensive mandate implementation report by 30 November 2026.

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/397 of 24 February 2025 amending Decision 2014/386/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENL series
2025/397 24.2.2025
(1) On 23 June 2014, the Council adopted Decision 2014/386/CFSP(1).
(2) In its conclusions of 19 December 2024, the European Council reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirmed the Union’s unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people.
(3) The Union does not recognise, and continues to condemn as a violation of international law, the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation. The Union remains dedicated to fully implementing its non-recognition policy.
(4) In view of the gravity of the situation and the continued illegal actions by the Russian Federation violating fundamental rules of international law, including, in particular, the prohibition on the use of force enshrined in Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations, and violating fundamental rules of international humanitarian law, it is appropriate to adopt further restrictive measures.
(5) The Union remains committed to using all diplomatic, economic, and legal instruments at its disposal to prevent the consolidation of Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol and to support Ukraine’s full restoration of sovereignty over its entire internationally-recognised territory. In order to inhibit the economic, financial, and legal integration of Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian Federation, as well as to prevent the circumvention, by the Russian Federation through Crimea and Sevastopol, of Union restrictive measures set out in Council Decision 2014/512/CFSP(2), it is appropriate to expand the restrictive measures set out in Decision 2014/386/CFSP.
(6) In particular, it is appropriate to impose restrictions on services that facilitate Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol and enable economic actors to integrate into Russia’s legal and financial system, primarily on the provision to Crimea and Sevastopol of accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, tax consulting, business and management consulting, public relations, construction, architectural, engineering, legal advisory, IT consultancy, market research and public opinion polling, technical testing and analysis and advertising services.
(7) With the aim of inhibiting circumvention practices, it is appropriate to prohibit the provision to Crimea and Sevastopol of certain software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture, and of related intellectual property rights or trade secrets.
(8) It is also appropriate to prohibit the supply to Crimea and Sevastopol of banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State.
(9) In order to minimise the risk of circumvention, it is appropriate to restrict the export to Crimea and Sevastopol of certain goods and technology that are also restricted by Decision 2014/512/CFSP.
(10) In order to ensure alignment with the interpretation of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-72/11(3), it is appropriate to amend the provision prohibiting circumvention to clarify that the requirements of knowledge and intent are met not only where a person deliberately seeks the object or effect of circumventing restrictive measures but also where a person participating in an activity having the object or effect of circumventing restrictive measures is aware that such participation may have that object or that effect, and accepts that possibility.
(11) Decision 2014/386/CFSP should therefore be amended accordingly,
(1) Articles 3 and 4 are deleted;
(2) in Article 4a, paragraph 3 is deleted;
(3) Article 4b is amended as follows:(a)paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,(a)to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or(b)for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’;(b)paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 are deleted; (a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,(a)to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or(b)for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’; (a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or (b) for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (b) paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 are deleted;
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,(a)to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or(b)for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’; (a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or (b) for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or
(b) for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy;
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(b) paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 are deleted;
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,(a)to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or(b)for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’; (a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or (b) for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or
(b) for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy;
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or
(b) for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy;(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy;
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy;
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(b) paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 are deleted;
(4) Article 4c is amended as follows:(a)paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.’;(b)the following paragraphs are inserted:‘1a.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in Crimea or Sevastopol in the sectors referred to in Article 4b(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology.1b.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.1c.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.1d.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.1e.   It shall be prohibited to:(a)provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;(b)provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;(c)sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.1f.   Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.1g.   Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP(*1).1h.   Paragraphs 1b to 1d shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.1i.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1d, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.1j.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1e, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:(a)humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;(b)civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol;(c)the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol;(d)ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;(e)ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;(f)the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;(g)the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.1k.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraph 1i or 1jwithin two weeks of the authorisation.(*1)Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’;"(c)paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted; (a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.’; (b) the following paragraphs are inserted:‘1a.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in Crimea or Sevastopol in the sectors referred to in Article 4b(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology.1b.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.1c.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.1d.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.1e.   It shall be prohibited to:(a)provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;(b)provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;(c)sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.1f.   Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.1g.   Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP(*1).1h.   Paragraphs 1b to 1d shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.1i.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1d, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.1j.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1e, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:(a)humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;(b)civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol;(c)the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol;(d)ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;(e)ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;(f)the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;(g)the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.1k.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraph 1i or 1jwithin two weeks of the authorisation.(*1)Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’;" (a) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol; (b) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol; (c) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol. (a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations; (b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol; (c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; (d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore; (e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment; (f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development; (g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union. (c) paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted;
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.’;
(b) the following paragraphs are inserted:‘1a.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in Crimea or Sevastopol in the sectors referred to in Article 4b(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology.1b.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.1c.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.1d.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.1e.   It shall be prohibited to:(a)provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;(b)provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;(c)sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.1f.   Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.1g.   Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP(*1).1h.   Paragraphs 1b to 1d shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.1i.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1d, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.1j.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1e, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:(a)humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;(b)civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol;(c)the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol;(d)ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;(e)ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;(f)the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;(g)the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.1k.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraph 1i or 1jwithin two weeks of the authorisation.(*1)Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’;" (a) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol; (b) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol; (c) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol. (a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations; (b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol; (c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; (d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore; (e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment; (f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development; (g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(a) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(b) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(c) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.
(a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;
(b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;
(e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;
(f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;
(g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(c) paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted;
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.’;
(b) the following paragraphs are inserted:‘1a.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in Crimea or Sevastopol in the sectors referred to in Article 4b(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology.1b.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.1c.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.1d.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.1e.   It shall be prohibited to:(a)provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;(b)provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;(c)sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.1f.   Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.1g.   Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP(*1).1h.   Paragraphs 1b to 1d shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.1i.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1d, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.1j.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1e, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:(a)humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;(b)civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol;(c)the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol;(d)ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;(e)ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;(f)the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;(g)the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.1k.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraph 1i or 1jwithin two weeks of the authorisation.(*1)Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’;" (a) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol; (b) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol; (c) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol. (a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations; (b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol; (c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; (d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore; (e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment; (f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development; (g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(a) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(b) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(c) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.
(a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;
(b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;
(e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;
(f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;
(g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(a) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(b) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(c) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.
(a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;
(b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;
(e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;
(f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;
(g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(c) paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted;
(5) in Article 4d(1), point (a) is replaced by the following:‘(a)necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or;’; ‘(a) necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or;’
‘(a) necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or;’
‘(a) necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or;’
(6) in Article 4e, paragraphs 4 and 5 are deleted;
(7) the following Articles are inserted:‘Article 4f1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State to Crimea or Sevastopol or to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.2.   The prohibition in paragraph 1 shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer or export of banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State provided that such sale, supply, transfer or export is necessary for:(a)the personal use of natural persons travelling to Crimea or Sevastopol or members of their immediate families travelling with them;(b)the official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or(c)civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex.Article 4gIt shall be prohibited to participate, knowingly and intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent prohibitions in this Decision, including by participating in such activities without deliberately seeking that object or effect but being aware that the participation may have that object or effect and accepting that possibility.Article 4h1.   No claims in connection with any contract or transaction the performance of which has been affected, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the measures imposed under this Decision, including claims for indemnity or any other claim of this type, such as a claim for compensation or a claim under a guarantee, particularly a claim for extension or payment of a bond, guarantee or indemnity, particularly a financial guarantee or financial indemnity, of whatever form, shall be satisfied, if they are made by:(a)designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annex I to Decision 2014/145/CFSP;(b)any natural person who, or legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision;(c)any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 2;(d)any person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol;(e)any Russian person, entity or body;(f)any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph.2.   In any proceedings for the enforcement of a claim, the onus of proving that satisfying the claim is not prohibited by paragraph 1 shall be on the natural or legal person, entity or body seeking the enforcement of that claim.3.   This Article is without prejudice to the right of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in paragraph 1 to judicial review of the legality of the non-performance of contractual obligations in accordance with this Decision.’; (a) the personal use of natural persons travelling to Crimea or Sevastopol or members of their immediate families travelling with them; (b) the official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or (c) civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex. (a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annex I to Decision 2014/145/CFSP; (b) any natural person who, or legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision; (c) any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 2; (d) any person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol; (e) any Russian person, entity or body; (f) any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph.
(a) the personal use of natural persons travelling to Crimea or Sevastopol or members of their immediate families travelling with them;
(b) the official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or
(c) civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex.
(a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annex I to Decision 2014/145/CFSP;
(b) any natural person who, or legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision;
(c) any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 2;
(d) any person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(e) any Russian person, entity or body;
(f) any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph.
(a) the personal use of natural persons travelling to Crimea or Sevastopol or members of their immediate families travelling with them;
(b) the official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or
(c) civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex.
(a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annex I to Decision 2014/145/CFSP;
(b) any natural person who, or legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision;
(c) any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 2;
(d) any person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(e) any Russian person, entity or body;
(f) any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph.
(8) an annex is added in accordance with the Annex to this Decision.
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 29 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
Whereas:
(1) On 23 June 2014, the Council adopted Decision 2014/386/CFSP (1).
(2) In its conclusions of 19 December 2024, the European Council reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirmed the Union’s unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people.
(3) The Union does not recognise, and continues to condemn as a violation of international law, the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation. The Union remains dedicated to fully implementing its non-recognition policy.
(4) In view of the gravity of the situation and the continued illegal actions by the Russian Federation violating fundamental rules of international law, including, in particular, the prohibition on the use of force enshrined in Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations, and violating fundamental rules of international humanitarian law, it is appropriate to adopt further restrictive measures.
(5) The Union remains committed to using all diplomatic, economic, and legal instruments at its disposal to prevent the consolidation of Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol and to support Ukraine’s full restoration of sovereignty over its entire internationally-recognised territory. In order to inhibit the economic, financial, and legal integration of Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian Federation, as well as to prevent the circumvention, by the Russian Federation through Crimea and Sevastopol, of Union restrictive measures set out in Council Decision 2014/512/CFSP (2), it is appropriate to expand the restrictive measures set out in Decision 2014/386/CFSP.
(6) In particular, it is appropriate to impose restrictions on services that facilitate Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol and enable economic actors to integrate into Russia’s legal and financial system, primarily on the provision to Crimea and Sevastopol of accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, tax consulting, business and management consulting, public relations, construction, architectural, engineering, legal advisory, IT consultancy, market research and public opinion polling, technical testing and analysis and advertising services.
(7) With the aim of inhibiting circumvention practices, it is appropriate to prohibit the provision to Crimea and Sevastopol of certain software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture, and of related intellectual property rights or trade secrets.
(8) It is also appropriate to prohibit the supply to Crimea and Sevastopol of banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State.
(9) In order to minimise the risk of circumvention, it is appropriate to restrict the export to Crimea and Sevastopol of certain goods and technology that are also restricted by Decision 2014/512/CFSP.
(10) In order to ensure alignment with the interpretation of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-72/11 (3), it is appropriate to amend the provision prohibiting circumvention to clarify that the requirements of knowledge and intent are met not only where a person deliberately seeks the object or effect of circumventing restrictive measures but also where a person participating in an activity having the object or effect of circumventing restrictive measures is aware that such participation may have that object or that effect, and accepts that possibility.
(11) Decision 2014/386/CFSP should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Decision 2014/386/CFSP is amended as follows:

(1) Articles 3 and 4 are deleted;
(2) in Article 4a, paragraph 3 is deleted;
(3) Article 4b is amended as follows:
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
‘1. It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,
(a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or
(b) for use in Crimea or Sevastopol,
in the following sectors:
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy;
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
;
(b) paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 are deleted;
(4) Article 4c is amended as follows:
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
‘1. It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.’
;
(b) the following paragraphs are inserted:
‘1a. It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in Crimea or Sevastopol in the sectors referred to in Article 4b(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology.
1b. It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.
1c. It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.
1d. It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol.
The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.
1e. It shall be prohibited to:
(a) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(b) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1b, 1c and 1d for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(c) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1d and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol.
1f. Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.
1g. Paragraphs 1 and 1b shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP (*1).
1h. Paragraphs 1b to 1d shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.
1i. By way of derogation from paragraph 1d, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.
1j. By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1e, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:
(a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;
(b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;
(e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;
(f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;
(g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
1k. The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraph 1i or 1jwithin two weeks of the authorisation.
(*1) Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’;”

(c) paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted;
(5) in Article 4d(1), point (a) is replaced by the following:
‘(a) necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or;’
;
(6) in Article 4e, paragraphs 4 and 5 are deleted;
(7) the following Articles are inserted:
‘Article 4f 1. It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State to Crimea or Sevastopol or to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol, or for use in Crimea or Sevastopol. 2. The prohibition in paragraph 1 shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer or export of banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State provided that such sale, supply, transfer or export is necessary for:
(a) the personal use of natural persons travelling to Crimea or Sevastopol or members of their immediate families travelling with them;
(b) the official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in Crimea or Sevastopol; or
(c) civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Crimea or Sevastopol which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex.
Article 4g
It shall be prohibited to participate, knowingly and intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent prohibitions in this Decision, including by participating in such activities without deliberately seeking that object or effect but being aware that the participation may have that object or effect and accepting that possibility.
Article 4h 1. No claims in connection with any contract or transaction the performance of which has been affected, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the measures imposed under this Decision, including claims for indemnity or any other claim of this type, such as a claim for compensation or a claim under a guarantee, particularly a claim for extension or payment of a bond, guarantee or indemnity, particularly a financial guarantee or financial indemnity, of whatever form, shall be satisfied, if they are made by:
(a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annex I to Decision 2014/145/CFSP;
(b) any natural person who, or legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision;
(c) any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 2;
(d) any person, entity or body in Crimea or Sevastopol;
(e) any Russian person, entity or body;
(f) any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph. 2. In any proceedings for the enforcement of a claim, the onus of proving that satisfying the claim is not prohibited by paragraph 1 shall be on the natural or legal person, entity or body seeking the enforcement of that claim. 3. This Article is without prejudice to the right of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in paragraph 1 to judicial review of the legality of the non-performance of contractual obligations in accordance with this Decision.’
;
(8) an annex is added in accordance with the Annex to this Decision.

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The following annex is added to Decision 2014/386/CFSP:

‘ANNEX
List of countries referred to in Article 4f(2), point (c).
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
JAPAN
UNITED KINGDOM
SOUTH KOREA
AUSTRALIA
CANADA
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
SWITZERLAND
LIECHTENSTEIN
ICELAND’.

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/403 of 28 February 2025 amending the Annexes to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 as regards the approval of certain national measures designed to limit the impact of certain diseases of aquatic animals and as regards the list of species which are susceptible to those diseases

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENL series
2025/403 3.3.2025
(1) Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260(2)establishes, in Annexes I, II and III thereto, lists of Member States or parts thereof which are regarded as being free from certain diseases of aquatic animals, not listed in accordance with Article 9(1), point (d), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, or which are subject to an eradication programme for those diseases, and for which national measures are approved, as well as a list of species which are susceptible to those diseases.
(2) France has notified the Commission that the zone Durançole and the compartments FR 72261001 and FR 72294001, within its territory which are listed in Annex I to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, can no longer be regarded as being free from KHV. The competent authority will no longer take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for that disease. That zone and those compartments should, therefore, be removed from the list in that Annex.
(3) Denmark has notified the Commission that compartments 103647 and 117789 and within its territory, which are listed in Annex I to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, can no longer be regarded as being free from both bacterial kidney disease (BKD) and infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN). In addition, Denmark has informed the Commission that compartment 104106 within its territory can no longer be regarded as being free from IPN. The competent authority will no longer take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for those diseases in those compartments. In addition, those compartments should, therefore, be removed from the list in Annex I to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260.
(4) Denmark has also notified the Commission that compartment 122491 within its territory, which is listed in Annex II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, can no longer be regarded as having an eradication programme for BKD. The competent authority will no longer take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for this disease in that compartment. In addition, that compartment should, therefore, be removed from the list in that Annex.
(5) In addition, Denmark notified the Commission that the eradication programme for certain diseases, referred to in Annex II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, has now been successfully finalised as regards BKD for compartment 106314 within its territory which is listed in that Annex. That compartment can therefore be regarded as being free from BKD and should, therefore, be removed from the list in that Annex. It should, instead, be inserted into the list of compartments that are regarded as being free from BKD in Annex I to that Implementing Decision and the competent authority will take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for that disease.
(6) Moreover, Denmark has notified the Commission that it has commenced an eradication programme for BKD for compartments 83138 and 103606 within its territory. Those compartments should, therefore, be added to the list of compartments that are subject to an eradication programme for BKD in Annex II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 and the competent authority will take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for that disease.
(7) Annexes I and II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 should, therefore, be amended accordingly.
(8) Furthermore, recent EFSA opinions concerning BKD(3), infection withGyrodactylus salaris(4), infectious pancreatic necrosis(5), infection with salmonid alphavirus(6), and spring viraemia of carp(7), set out lists of species of aquatic animals which are susceptible to those diseases. Annex III to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 should, therefore, be amended to take those EFSA opinions into account.
(9) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
(1) Annex I is amended as follows:(a)the entry for France as regards Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) is replaced by the following:‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV)FranceFRThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’(b)the entry for Denmark as regards bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is replaced by the following:‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:84470Brænderigårdens Dambrug92158Hørup Mølle Dambrug103471Abildvad Dambrug103559Fårup Mølle Dambrug103587Trend Å Dambrug103623Hårkjær Dambrug103682Sangild Dambrug103733Skade Dambrug106314Ravningkær Dambrug118656AquaSearch Ova, Billund118844Ravning ægpakkeri128165Ollerupgård Dambrug’(c)the entry for Denmark as regards infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is replaced by the following:‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:83138Hallesøhuse Dambrug84470Brænderigårdens Dambrug92158Hørup Mølle Dambrug103554Fruerlund Dambrug103559Fårup Mølle Dambrug103571Hallesø Dambrug103606Lundby Dambrug103623Hårkjær Dambrug103668Ravning Dambrug103670Refsgårds Dambrug103682Sangild Dambrug103802Ådal Dambrug103910Piledal Dambrug106314Ravningkær Dambrug108516Hulsig Dambrug118656AquaSearch Ova, Billund118844Ravning ægpakkeri125770Aquasearch Ova128165Ollerupgård Dambrug’ (a) the entry for France as regards Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) is replaced by the following:‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV)FranceFRThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’ ‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) France FR The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’ (b) the entry for Denmark as regards bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is replaced by the following:‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:84470Brænderigårdens Dambrug92158Hørup Mølle Dambrug103471Abildvad Dambrug103559Fårup Mølle Dambrug103587Trend Å Dambrug103623Hårkjær Dambrug103682Sangild Dambrug103733Skade Dambrug106314Ravningkær Dambrug118656AquaSearch Ova, Billund118844Ravning ægpakkeri128165Ollerupgård Dambrug’ ‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: 84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug 92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug 103471 Abildvad Dambrug 103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug 103587 Trend Å Dambrug 103623 Hårkjær Dambrug 103682 Sangild Dambrug 103733 Skade Dambrug 106314 Ravningkær Dambrug 118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund 118844 Ravning ægpakkeri 128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’ (c) the entry for Denmark as regards infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is replaced by the following:‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:83138Hallesøhuse Dambrug84470Brænderigårdens Dambrug92158Hørup Mølle Dambrug103554Fruerlund Dambrug103559Fårup Mølle Dambrug103571Hallesø Dambrug103606Lundby Dambrug103623Hårkjær Dambrug103668Ravning Dambrug103670Refsgårds Dambrug103682Sangild Dambrug103802Ådal Dambrug103910Piledal Dambrug106314Ravningkær Dambrug108516Hulsig Dambrug118656AquaSearch Ova, Billund118844Ravning ægpakkeri125770Aquasearch Ova128165Ollerupgård Dambrug’ ‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: 83138 Hallesøhuse Dambrug 84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug 92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug 103554 Fruerlund Dambrug 103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug 103571 Hallesø Dambrug 103606 Lundby Dambrug 103623 Hårkjær Dambrug 103668 Ravning Dambrug 103670 Refsgårds Dambrug 103682 Sangild Dambrug 103802 Ådal Dambrug 103910 Piledal Dambrug 106314 Ravningkær Dambrug 108516 Hulsig Dambrug 118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund 118844 Ravning ægpakkeri 125770 Aquasearch Ova 128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
(a) the entry for France as regards Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) is replaced by the following:‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV)FranceFRThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’ ‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) France FR The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’
‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) France FR The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’
(b) the entry for Denmark as regards bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is replaced by the following:‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:84470Brænderigårdens Dambrug92158Hørup Mølle Dambrug103471Abildvad Dambrug103559Fårup Mølle Dambrug103587Trend Å Dambrug103623Hårkjær Dambrug103682Sangild Dambrug103733Skade Dambrug106314Ravningkær Dambrug118656AquaSearch Ova, Billund118844Ravning ægpakkeri128165Ollerupgård Dambrug’ ‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: 84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug 92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug 103471 Abildvad Dambrug 103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug 103587 Trend Å Dambrug 103623 Hårkjær Dambrug 103682 Sangild Dambrug 103733 Skade Dambrug 106314 Ravningkær Dambrug 118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund 118844 Ravning ægpakkeri 128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug
92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug
103471 Abildvad Dambrug
103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug
103587 Trend Å Dambrug
103623 Hårkjær Dambrug
103682 Sangild Dambrug
103733 Skade Dambrug
106314 Ravningkær Dambrug
118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund
118844 Ravning ægpakkeri
128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
(c) the entry for Denmark as regards infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is replaced by the following:‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:83138Hallesøhuse Dambrug84470Brænderigårdens Dambrug92158Hørup Mølle Dambrug103554Fruerlund Dambrug103559Fårup Mølle Dambrug103571Hallesø Dambrug103606Lundby Dambrug103623Hårkjær Dambrug103668Ravning Dambrug103670Refsgårds Dambrug103682Sangild Dambrug103802Ådal Dambrug103910Piledal Dambrug106314Ravningkær Dambrug108516Hulsig Dambrug118656AquaSearch Ova, Billund118844Ravning ægpakkeri125770Aquasearch Ova128165Ollerupgård Dambrug’ ‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: 83138 Hallesøhuse Dambrug 84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug 92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug 103554 Fruerlund Dambrug 103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug 103571 Hallesø Dambrug 103606 Lundby Dambrug 103623 Hårkjær Dambrug 103668 Ravning Dambrug 103670 Refsgårds Dambrug 103682 Sangild Dambrug 103802 Ådal Dambrug 103910 Piledal Dambrug 106314 Ravningkær Dambrug 108516 Hulsig Dambrug 118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund 118844 Ravning ægpakkeri 125770 Aquasearch Ova 128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
83138 Hallesøhuse Dambrug
84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug
92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug
103554 Fruerlund Dambrug
103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug
103571 Hallesø Dambrug
103606 Lundby Dambrug
103623 Hårkjær Dambrug
103668 Ravning Dambrug
103670 Refsgårds Dambrug
103682 Sangild Dambrug
103802 Ådal Dambrug
103910 Piledal Dambrug
106314 Ravningkær Dambrug
108516 Hulsig Dambrug
118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund
118844 Ravning ægpakkeri
125770 Aquasearch Ova
128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
(a) the entry for France as regards Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) is replaced by the following:‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV)FranceFRThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’ ‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) France FR The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’
‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) France FR The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’
‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) France FR The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL CarpioFR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du SoleilFR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – PiscicultureFR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de PierreFR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de FontanasFR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’
(b) the entry for Denmark as regards bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is replaced by the following:‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:84470Brænderigårdens Dambrug92158Hørup Mølle Dambrug103471Abildvad Dambrug103559Fårup Mølle Dambrug103587Trend Å Dambrug103623Hårkjær Dambrug103682Sangild Dambrug103733Skade Dambrug106314Ravningkær Dambrug118656AquaSearch Ova, Billund118844Ravning ægpakkeri128165Ollerupgård Dambrug’ ‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: 84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug 92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug 103471 Abildvad Dambrug 103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug 103587 Trend Å Dambrug 103623 Hårkjær Dambrug 103682 Sangild Dambrug 103733 Skade Dambrug 106314 Ravningkær Dambrug 118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund 118844 Ravning ægpakkeri 128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug
92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug
103471 Abildvad Dambrug
103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug
103587 Trend Å Dambrug
103623 Hårkjær Dambrug
103682 Sangild Dambrug
103733 Skade Dambrug
106314 Ravningkær Dambrug
118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund
118844 Ravning ægpakkeri
128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug
92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug
103471 Abildvad Dambrug
103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug
103587 Trend Å Dambrug
103623 Hårkjær Dambrug
103682 Sangild Dambrug
103733 Skade Dambrug
106314 Ravningkær Dambrug
118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund
118844 Ravning ægpakkeri
128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
(c) the entry for Denmark as regards infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is replaced by the following:‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:83138Hallesøhuse Dambrug84470Brænderigårdens Dambrug92158Hørup Mølle Dambrug103554Fruerlund Dambrug103559Fårup Mølle Dambrug103571Hallesø Dambrug103606Lundby Dambrug103623Hårkjær Dambrug103668Ravning Dambrug103670Refsgårds Dambrug103682Sangild Dambrug103802Ådal Dambrug103910Piledal Dambrug106314Ravningkær Dambrug108516Hulsig Dambrug118656AquaSearch Ova, Billund118844Ravning ægpakkeri125770Aquasearch Ova128165Ollerupgård Dambrug’ ‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: 83138 Hallesøhuse Dambrug 84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug 92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug 103554 Fruerlund Dambrug 103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug 103571 Hallesø Dambrug 103606 Lundby Dambrug 103623 Hårkjær Dambrug 103668 Ravning Dambrug 103670 Refsgårds Dambrug 103682 Sangild Dambrug 103802 Ådal Dambrug 103910 Piledal Dambrug 106314 Ravningkær Dambrug 108516 Hulsig Dambrug 118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund 118844 Ravning ægpakkeri 125770 Aquasearch Ova 128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
83138 Hallesøhuse Dambrug
84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug
92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug
103554 Fruerlund Dambrug
103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug
103571 Hallesø Dambrug
103606 Lundby Dambrug
103623 Hårkjær Dambrug
103668 Ravning Dambrug
103670 Refsgårds Dambrug
103682 Sangild Dambrug
103802 Ådal Dambrug
103910 Piledal Dambrug
106314 Ravningkær Dambrug
108516 Hulsig Dambrug
118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund
118844 Ravning ægpakkeri
125770 Aquasearch Ova
128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
83138 Hallesøhuse Dambrug
84470 Brænderigårdens Dambrug
92158 Hørup Mølle Dambrug
103554 Fruerlund Dambrug
103559 Fårup Mølle Dambrug
103571 Hallesø Dambrug
103606 Lundby Dambrug
103623 Hårkjær Dambrug
103668 Ravning Dambrug
103670 Refsgårds Dambrug
103682 Sangild Dambrug
103802 Ådal Dambrug
103910 Piledal Dambrug
106314 Ravningkær Dambrug
108516 Hulsig Dambrug
118656 AquaSearch Ova, Billund
118844 Ravning ægpakkeri
125770 Aquasearch Ova
128165 Ollerupgård Dambrug’
(2) in Annex II, the entry for Denmark as regards bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is replaced by the following:‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD)DenmarkDKThe following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:83138Halle Søhuse Dambrug103606Lundby Dambrug’ ‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number: 83138 Halle Søhuse Dambrug 103606 Lundby Dambrug’
‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
83138 Halle Søhuse Dambrug
103606 Lundby Dambrug’
‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Denmark DK The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:
83138 Halle Søhuse Dambrug
103606 Lundby Dambrug’
(3) Annex III is replaced by the following:‘Species of aquatic animals which are susceptible to diseases for which certain Member States(*1)have adopted national measures in accordance with Article 226(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429DiseaseSusceptible speciesKoi herpes virus diseaseAs listed in the third column of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882Spring viraemia of carp (SVC)Abramis brama, Aristichthys nobilis, Carassius auratus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Cyprinus carpio koi, Cyprinus rubrofuscus, Danio rerio, Notemingonus crysoleucas, Percocypris pingi, Pimephales promelas, Rutilus kutum, Rutilus rutilus, Silurus glanisBacterial kidney disease (BKD)Anoplopoma fimbria, Lota lota, Notropis cornutus, Onchorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhyncus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus nerka, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pimephales promelas, Plecoglossus altivelis, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Thymallus thymallusInfectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN)Anarhichas minor, Anguilla anguilla, Anguilla japonica, Brevoortia tyrannus, Channa striata, Coregonus lavaretus, Ctenolabrus rupestris, Danio rerio, Dicentrarchus labrax, Esox lucius, Gadus morhua, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, Limanda limanda, Morone saxatilis, Merluccius merluccius, Microstomus kitt, Orcorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus rhodurus, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pleuronectes platessa, Scophthalmus maximus, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycushInfection withGyrodactylus salaris(GS)Oncorhynchus mykiss,Salmo trutta, Salmo salar,Salvelinus alpinus,Salvelinus fontinalis,Salvelinus namaycush, Thymallus thymallusInfection with salmonid alphavirus (SAV)Limanda limanda, Oncorhynchus mykiss,Salmo salar,Salvelinus alpinus(*1)In accordance with the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 5(4) of the Windsor Framework in conjunction with Annex 2 to that Framework, for the purposes of this Annex, references to Member States include the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland.’." Disease Susceptible species Koi herpes virus disease As listed in the third column of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 Spring viraemia of carp (SVC) Abramis brama, Aristichthys nobilis, Carassius auratus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Cyprinus carpio koi, Cyprinus rubrofuscus, Danio rerio, Notemingonus crysoleucas, Percocypris pingi, Pimephales promelas, Rutilus kutum, Rutilus rutilus, Silurus glanis Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Anoplopoma fimbria, Lota lota, Notropis cornutus, Onchorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhyncus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus nerka, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pimephales promelas, Plecoglossus altivelis, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Thymallus thymallus Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Anarhichas minor, Anguilla anguilla, Anguilla japonica, Brevoortia tyrannus, Channa striata, Coregonus lavaretus, Ctenolabrus rupestris, Danio rerio, Dicentrarchus labrax, Esox lucius, Gadus morhua, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, Limanda limanda, Morone saxatilis, Merluccius merluccius, Microstomus kitt, Orcorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus rhodurus, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pleuronectes platessa, Scophthalmus maximus, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush Infection withGyrodactylus salaris(GS) Oncorhynchus mykiss,Salmo trutta, Salmo salar,Salvelinus alpinus,Salvelinus fontinalis,Salvelinus namaycush, Thymallus thymallus Infection with salmonid alphavirus (SAV) Limanda limanda, Oncorhynchus mykiss,Salmo salar,Salvelinus alpinus
Disease Susceptible species
Koi herpes virus disease As listed in the third column of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882
Spring viraemia of carp (SVC) Abramis brama, Aristichthys nobilis, Carassius auratus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Cyprinus carpio koi, Cyprinus rubrofuscus, Danio rerio, Notemingonus crysoleucas, Percocypris pingi, Pimephales promelas, Rutilus kutum, Rutilus rutilus, Silurus glanis
Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Anoplopoma fimbria, Lota lota, Notropis cornutus, Onchorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhyncus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus nerka, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pimephales promelas, Plecoglossus altivelis, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Thymallus thymallus
Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Anarhichas minor, Anguilla anguilla, Anguilla japonica, Brevoortia tyrannus, Channa striata, Coregonus lavaretus, Ctenolabrus rupestris, Danio rerio, Dicentrarchus labrax, Esox lucius, Gadus morhua, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, Limanda limanda, Morone saxatilis, Merluccius merluccius, Microstomus kitt, Orcorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus rhodurus, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pleuronectes platessa, Scophthalmus maximus, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush
Infection withGyrodactylus salaris(GS) Oncorhynchus mykiss,Salmo trutta, Salmo salar,Salvelinus alpinus,Salvelinus fontinalis,Salvelinus namaycush, Thymallus thymallus
Infection with salmonid alphavirus (SAV) Limanda limanda, Oncorhynchus mykiss,Salmo salar,Salvelinus alpinus
Disease Susceptible species
Koi herpes virus disease As listed in the third column of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882
Spring viraemia of carp (SVC) Abramis brama, Aristichthys nobilis, Carassius auratus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Cyprinus carpio koi, Cyprinus rubrofuscus, Danio rerio, Notemingonus crysoleucas, Percocypris pingi, Pimephales promelas, Rutilus kutum, Rutilus rutilus, Silurus glanis
Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Anoplopoma fimbria, Lota lota, Notropis cornutus, Onchorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhyncus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus nerka, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pimephales promelas, Plecoglossus altivelis, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Thymallus thymallus
Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) Anarhichas minor, Anguilla anguilla, Anguilla japonica, Brevoortia tyrannus, Channa striata, Coregonus lavaretus, Ctenolabrus rupestris, Danio rerio, Dicentrarchus labrax, Esox lucius, Gadus morhua, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, Limanda limanda, Morone saxatilis, Merluccius merluccius, Microstomus kitt, Orcorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus rhodurus, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pleuronectes platessa, Scophthalmus maximus, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush
Infection withGyrodactylus salaris(GS) Oncorhynchus mykiss,Salmo trutta, Salmo salar,Salvelinus alpinus,Salvelinus fontinalis,Salvelinus namaycush, Thymallus thymallus
Infection with salmonid alphavirus (SAV) Limanda limanda, Oncorhynchus mykiss,Salmo salar,Salvelinus alpinus
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (1), and in particular Article 226(3) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 (2) establishes, in Annexes I, II and III thereto, lists of Member States or parts thereof which are regarded as being free from certain diseases of aquatic animals, not listed in accordance with Article 9(1), point (d), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, or which are subject to an eradication programme for those diseases, and for which national measures are approved, as well as a list of species which are susceptible to those diseases.
(2) France has notified the Commission that the zone Durançole and the compartments FR 72261001 and FR 72294001, within its territory which are listed in Annex I to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, can no longer be regarded as being free from KHV. The competent authority will no longer take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for that disease. That zone and those compartments should, therefore, be removed from the list in that Annex.
(3) Denmark has notified the Commission that compartments 103647 and 117789 and within its territory, which are listed in Annex I to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, can no longer be regarded as being free from both bacterial kidney disease (BKD) and infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN). In addition, Denmark has informed the Commission that compartment 104106 within its territory can no longer be regarded as being free from IPN. The competent authority will no longer take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for those diseases in those compartments. In addition, those compartments should, therefore, be removed from the list in Annex I to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260.
(4) Denmark has also notified the Commission that compartment 122491 within its territory, which is listed in Annex II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, can no longer be regarded as having an eradication programme for BKD. The competent authority will no longer take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for this disease in that compartment. In addition, that compartment should, therefore, be removed from the list in that Annex.
(5) In addition, Denmark notified the Commission that the eradication programme for certain diseases, referred to in Annex II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, has now been successfully finalised as regards BKD for compartment 106314 within its territory which is listed in that Annex. That compartment can therefore be regarded as being free from BKD and should, therefore, be removed from the list in that Annex. It should, instead, be inserted into the list of compartments that are regarded as being free from BKD in Annex I to that Implementing Decision and the competent authority will take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for that disease.
(6) Moreover, Denmark has notified the Commission that it has commenced an eradication programme for BKD for compartments 83138 and 103606 within its territory. Those compartments should, therefore, be added to the list of compartments that are subject to an eradication programme for BKD in Annex II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 and the competent authority will take national measures to prevent the introduction, or to control the spread, for that disease.
(7) Annexes I and II to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 should, therefore, be amended accordingly.
(8) Furthermore, recent EFSA opinions concerning BKD (3), infection with Gyrodactylus salaris (4), infectious pancreatic necrosis (5), infection with salmonid alphavirus (6), and spring viraemia of carp (7), set out lists of species of aquatic animals which are susceptible to those diseases. Annex III to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 should, therefore, be amended to take those EFSA opinions into account.
(9) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Annexes I, II and III to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Decision.
This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Annexes to Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260 are amended as follows:

(1) Annex I is amended as follows:
(a) the entry for France as regards Koi herpes virus disease (KHV) is replaced by the following:
‘Koi herpes virus disease (KHV)
France
FR
The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:

FR 17116001 CE Pisiculture de l’EARL Carpio
FR 34023506 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil
FR 34195501 CE Olivier Germaine – Pisciculture
FR 39366002 CE Pisciculture du Moulin de Pierre
FR 63263022 CE Pisciculture de Fontanas
FR 66190003 CE SCEA les poissons du Soleil’
(b) the entry for Denmark as regards bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is replaced by the following:
‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD)
Denmark
DK
The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:

84470
Brænderigårdens Dambrug
92158
Hørup Mølle Dambrug
103471
Abildvad Dambrug
103559
Fårup Mølle Dambrug
103587
Trend Å Dambrug
103623
Hårkjær Dambrug
103682
Sangild Dambrug
103733
Skade Dambrug
106314
Ravningkær Dambrug
118656
AquaSearch Ova, Billund
118844
Ravning ægpakkeri
128165
Ollerupgård Dambrug’
(c) the entry for Denmark as regards infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is replaced by the following:
‘Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN)
Denmark
DK
The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:

83138
Hallesøhuse Dambrug
84470
Brænderigårdens Dambrug
92158
Hørup Mølle Dambrug
103554
Fruerlund Dambrug
103559
Fårup Mølle Dambrug
103571
Hallesø Dambrug
103606
Lundby Dambrug
103623
Hårkjær Dambrug
103668
Ravning Dambrug
103670
Refsgårds Dambrug
103682
Sangild Dambrug
103802
Ådal Dambrug
103910
Piledal Dambrug
106314
Ravningkær Dambrug
108516
Hulsig Dambrug
118656
AquaSearch Ova, Billund
118844
Ravning ægpakkeri
125770
Aquasearch Ova
128165
Ollerupgård Dambrug’

(2) in Annex II, the entry for Denmark as regards bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is replaced by the following:
‘Bacterial kidney disease (BKD)
Denmark
DK
The following individual compartments each comprising of an aquaculture establishment with the specified approval number:

83138
Halle Søhuse Dambrug
103606
Lundby Dambrug’

(3) Annex III is replaced by the following:
‘
Species of aquatic animals which are susceptible to diseases for which certain Member States
(*1)
have adopted national measures in accordance with Article 226(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429
Disease
Susceptible species
Koi herpes virus disease
As listed in the third column of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882
Spring viraemia of carp (SVC)
Abramis brama, Aristichthys nobilis, Carassius auratus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Cyprinus carpio koi, Cyprinus rubrofuscus, Danio rerio, Notemingonus crysoleucas, Percocypris pingi, Pimephales promelas, Rutilus kutum, Rutilus rutilus, Silurus glanis
Bacterial kidney disease (BKD)
Anoplopoma fimbria, Lota lota, Notropis cornutus, Onchorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhyncus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus nerka, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pimephales promelas, Plecoglossus altivelis, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Thymallus thymallus
Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN)
Anarhichas minor, Anguilla anguilla, Anguilla japonica, Brevoortia tyrannus, Channa striata, Coregonus lavaretus, Ctenolabrus rupestris, Danio rerio, Dicentrarchus labrax, Esox lucius, Gadus morhua, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, Limanda limanda, Morone saxatilis, Merluccius merluccius, Microstomus kitt, Orcorhynchus clarkii, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus kisutch, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus rhodurus, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Pleuronectes platessa, Scophthalmus maximus, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush
Infection with Gyrodactylus salaris (GS)
Oncorhynchus mykiss, Salmo trutta, Salmo salar, Salvelinus alpinus, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush, Thymallus thymallus
Infection with salmonid alphavirus (SAV)
Limanda limanda, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Salmo salar, Salvelinus alpinus
(*1) In accordance with the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 5(4) of the Windsor Framework in conjunction with Annex 2 to that Framework, for the purposes of this Annex, references to Member States include the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland.’.”

(*1) In accordance with the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 5(4) of the Windsor Framework in conjunction with Annex 2 to that Framework, for the purposes of this Annex, references to Member States include the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland.’.’

Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/396 of 24 February 2025 amending Decision (CFSP) 2022/266 concerning restrictive measures in response to the illegal recognition, occupation or annexation by the Russian Federation of certain non-government controlled areas of Ukraine

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENL series
2025/396 24.2.2025
(1) On 23 February 2022, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2022/266(1).
(2) On 6 October 2022, in response to the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions by the Russian Federation, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2022/1908(2). That Decision amended the title of Decision (CFSP) 2022/266 and extended the geographical scope of the restrictions to cover all the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine in the oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.
(3) In its conclusions of 19 December 2024, the European Council reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirmed the Union’s unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people.
(4) The Union does not recognise, and continues to reject and condemn, the illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Union remains dedicated to fully implementing its non-recognition policy.
(5) In view of the gravity of the situation and the continued illegal actions by the Russian Federation violating fundamental rules of international law, including, in particular, the prohibition on the use of force enshrined in Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations, and violating fundamental rules of international humanitarian law, it is appropriate to adopt further restrictive measures.
(6) The Union remains committed to using all diplomatic, economic, and legal instruments at its disposal to prevent the consolidation of Russia’s illegal occupation of the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine in the oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia (‘non-government controlled areas’) and to support Ukraine’s full restoration of sovereignty over its entire internationally-recognised territory. In order to inhibit the economic, financial, and legal integration of the non-government controlled areas into the Russian Federation, as well as to prevent the circumvention, by the Russian Federation through those non-government controlled areas, of Union restrictive measures set out in Council Decision 2014/512/CFSP(3), it is appropriate to expand the restrictive measures set out in Decision(CFSP) 2022/266.
(7) In particular, it is appropriate to impose restrictions on services that facilitate Russia’s illegal occupation and enable economic actors to integrate into Russia’s legal and financial system, primarily on the provision to the non-government controlled areas of accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, tax consulting, business and management consulting, public relations, construction, architectural, engineering, legal advisory, IT consultancy, market research and public opinion polling, technical testing and analysis and advertising services.
(8) With the aim of inhibiting circumvention practices, it is appropriate to prohibit the provision to the non-government controlled areas of certain software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture, and of related intellectual property rights or trade secrets.
(9) It is also appropriate to prohibit the supply to the non-government controlled areas of banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State.
(10) In order to minimise the risk of circumvention, it is appropriate to restrict the export to the non-government controlled areas of certain goods and technology that are also restricted by Decision 2014/512/CFSP.
(11) In order to ensure alignment with the interpretation of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-72/11(4), it is appropriate to amend the provision prohibiting circumvention to clarify that the requirements of knowledge and intent are met not only where a person deliberately seeks the object or effect of circumventing restrictive measures but also where a person participating in an activity having the object or effect of circumventing restrictive measures is aware that such participation may have that object or that effect, and accepts that possibility.
(12) Decision (CFSP) 2022/266 should therefore be amended accordingly,
(1) Articles 3 and 4 are deleted.
(2) In Article 5, paragraph 3 is deleted.
(3) Article 6 is amended as follows:(a)paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,(a)to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or,(b)for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’;(b)paragraph 3 is deleted. (a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,(a)to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or,(b)for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’; (a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or, (b) for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; and (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (b) paragraph 3 is deleted.
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,(a)to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or,(b)for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’; (a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or, (b) for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; and (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or,
(b) for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; and (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy; and
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(b) paragraph 3 is deleted.
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,(a)to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or,(b)for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’; (a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or, (b) for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; and (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or,
(b) for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; and (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy; and
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or,
(b) for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,in the following sectors:(i)transport;(ii)telecommunications;(iii)energy; and(iv)the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’ (i) transport; (ii) telecommunications; (iii) energy; and (iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy; and
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy; and
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
(b) paragraph 3 is deleted.
(4) Article 7 is amended as follows:(a)paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.’;(b)the following paragraphs are inserted after paragraph 1:‘1-a.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.1-b.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.1-c.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.1-d.   It shall be prohibited to:(a)provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology;(b)provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;(c)provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;(d)sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas.1-e.   Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.1-f.   Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP(*1).1-g.   Paragraphs 1-a, 1-b and 1-c shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.1-h.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1-c, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.1-i.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1-d, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:(a)humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;(b)civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas;(c)the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas;(d)ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;(e)ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;(f)the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;(g)the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.1-j.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraphs 1-h or 1-i within two weeks of the authorisation.(*1)Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’."(c)In the introductory words of paragraph 1a, the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to:’ is replaced by the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 to 1-d shall not apply to:’.(d)In paragraph 1b, the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraph 1a,’ is replaced by the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraphs 1 to 1-d,’.(e)Paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted. (a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.’; (b) the following paragraphs are inserted after paragraph 1:‘1-a.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.1-b.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.1-c.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.1-d.   It shall be prohibited to:(a)provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology;(b)provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;(c)provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;(d)sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas.1-e.   Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.1-f.   Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP(*1).1-g.   Paragraphs 1-a, 1-b and 1-c shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.1-h.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1-c, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.1-i.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1-d, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:(a)humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;(b)civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas;(c)the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas;(d)ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;(e)ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;(f)the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;(g)the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.1-j.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraphs 1-h or 1-i within two weeks of the authorisation.(*1)Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’." (a) provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology; (b) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas; (c) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas; (d) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas. (a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations; (b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas; (c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas; (d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore; (e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment; (f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development; (g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union. (c) In the introductory words of paragraph 1a, the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to:’ is replaced by the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 to 1-d shall not apply to:’. (d) In paragraph 1b, the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraph 1a,’ is replaced by the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraphs 1 to 1-d,’. (e) Paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted.
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.’;
(b) the following paragraphs are inserted after paragraph 1:‘1-a.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.1-b.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.1-c.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.1-d.   It shall be prohibited to:(a)provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology;(b)provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;(c)provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;(d)sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas.1-e.   Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.1-f.   Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP(*1).1-g.   Paragraphs 1-a, 1-b and 1-c shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.1-h.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1-c, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.1-i.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1-d, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:(a)humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;(b)civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas;(c)the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas;(d)ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;(e)ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;(f)the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;(g)the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.1-j.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraphs 1-h or 1-i within two weeks of the authorisation.(*1)Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’." (a) provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology; (b) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas; (c) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas; (d) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas. (a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations; (b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas; (c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas; (d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore; (e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment; (f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development; (g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(a) provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology;
(b) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;
(c) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;
(d) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas.
(a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;
(b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas;
(c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas;
(d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;
(e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;
(f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;
(g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(c) In the introductory words of paragraph 1a, the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to:’ is replaced by the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 to 1-d shall not apply to:’.
(d) In paragraph 1b, the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraph 1a,’ is replaced by the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraphs 1 to 1-d,’.
(e) Paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted.
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:‘1.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.’;
(b) the following paragraphs are inserted after paragraph 1:‘1-a.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.1-b.   It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.1-c.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.1-d.   It shall be prohibited to:(a)provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology;(b)provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;(c)provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;(d)sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas.1-e.   Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.1-f.   Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP(*1).1-g.   Paragraphs 1-a, 1-b and 1-c shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.1-h.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1-c, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.1-i.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1-d, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:(a)humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;(b)civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas;(c)the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas;(d)ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;(e)ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;(f)the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;(g)the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.1-j.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraphs 1-h or 1-i within two weeks of the authorisation.(*1)Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’." (a) provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology; (b) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas; (c) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas; (d) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas. (a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations; (b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas; (c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas; (d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore; (e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment; (f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development; (g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(a) provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology;
(b) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;
(c) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;
(d) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas.
(a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;
(b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas;
(c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas;
(d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;
(e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;
(f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;
(g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(a) provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology;
(b) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;
(c) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;
(d) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas.
(a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;
(b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas;
(c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas;
(d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;
(e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;
(f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;
(g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
(c) In the introductory words of paragraph 1a, the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to:’ is replaced by the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 to 1-d shall not apply to:’.
(d) In paragraph 1b, the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraph 1a,’ is replaced by the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraphs 1 to 1-d,’.
(e) Paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted.
(5) In Article 8(1), point (a) is replaced by the following:‘(a)necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas; or,’. ‘(a) necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas; or,’.
‘(a) necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas; or,’.
‘(a) necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas; or,’.
(6) In Article 9, paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted.
(7) The following Articles are inserted:‘Article 9a1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State to the non-government controlled areas or to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas, or for use in the non-government controlled areas.2.   The prohibition in paragraph 1 shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer or export of banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State provided that such sale, supply, transfer or export is necessary for:(a)the personal use of natural persons travelling to the non-government controlled areas or members of their immediate families travelling with them;(b)the official purposes of international organisations in the non-government controlled areas enjoying immunities in accordance with international law; or(c)civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex.Article 9bIt shall be prohibited to participate, knowingly and intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent prohibitions in this Decision, including by participating in such activities without deliberately seeking that object or effect but being aware that the participation may have that object or effect and accepting that possibility.Article 9c1.   No claims in connection with any contract or transaction the performance of which has been affected, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the measures imposed under this Decision, including claims for indemnity or any other claim of this type, such as a claim for compensation or a claim under a guarantee, particularly a claim for extension or payment of a bond, guarantee or indemnity, particularly a financial guarantee or financial indemnity, of whatever form, shall be satisfied, if they are made by:(a)designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex to Decision 2014/145/CFSP;(b)any natural person who, or any legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision;(c)any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 1;(d)any person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas;(e)any Russian person, entity or body;(f)any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph.2.   In any proceedings for the enforcement of a claim, the onus of proving that satisfying the claim is not prohibited by paragraph 1 shall be on the natural or legal person, entity or body seeking the enforcement of that claim.3.   This Article is without prejudice to the right of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in paragraph 1 to judicial review of the legality of the non-performance of contractual obligations in accordance with this Decision.’. (a) the personal use of natural persons travelling to the non-government controlled areas or members of their immediate families travelling with them; (b) the official purposes of international organisations in the non-government controlled areas enjoying immunities in accordance with international law; or (c) civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex. (a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex to Decision 2014/145/CFSP; (b) any natural person who, or any legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision; (c) any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 1; (d) any person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas; (e) any Russian person, entity or body; (f) any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph.
(a) the personal use of natural persons travelling to the non-government controlled areas or members of their immediate families travelling with them;
(b) the official purposes of international organisations in the non-government controlled areas enjoying immunities in accordance with international law; or
(c) civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex.
(a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex to Decision 2014/145/CFSP;
(b) any natural person who, or any legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision;
(c) any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 1;
(d) any person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas;
(e) any Russian person, entity or body;
(f) any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph.
(a) the personal use of natural persons travelling to the non-government controlled areas or members of their immediate families travelling with them;
(b) the official purposes of international organisations in the non-government controlled areas enjoying immunities in accordance with international law; or
(c) civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex.
(a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex to Decision 2014/145/CFSP;
(b) any natural person who, or any legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision;
(c) any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 1;
(d) any person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas;
(e) any Russian person, entity or body;
(f) any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph.
(8) An annex is added in accordance with the Annex to this Decision.
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 29 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
Whereas:
(1) On 23 February 2022, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2022/266 (1).
(2) On 6 October 2022, in response to the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions by the Russian Federation, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2022/1908 (2). That Decision amended the title of Decision (CFSP) 2022/266 and extended the geographical scope of the restrictions to cover all the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine in the oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.
(3) In its conclusions of 19 December 2024, the European Council reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirmed the Union’s unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people.
(4) The Union does not recognise, and continues to reject and condemn, the illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Union remains dedicated to fully implementing its non-recognition policy.
(5) In view of the gravity of the situation and the continued illegal actions by the Russian Federation violating fundamental rules of international law, including, in particular, the prohibition on the use of force enshrined in Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations, and violating fundamental rules of international humanitarian law, it is appropriate to adopt further restrictive measures.
(6) The Union remains committed to using all diplomatic, economic, and legal instruments at its disposal to prevent the consolidation of Russia’s illegal occupation of the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine in the oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia (‘non-government controlled areas’) and to support Ukraine’s full restoration of sovereignty over its entire internationally-recognised territory. In order to inhibit the economic, financial, and legal integration of the non-government controlled areas into the Russian Federation, as well as to prevent the circumvention, by the Russian Federation through those non-government controlled areas, of Union restrictive measures set out in Council Decision 2014/512/CFSP (3), it is appropriate to expand the restrictive measures set out in Decision(CFSP) 2022/266.
(7) In particular, it is appropriate to impose restrictions on services that facilitate Russia’s illegal occupation and enable economic actors to integrate into Russia’s legal and financial system, primarily on the provision to the non-government controlled areas of accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, tax consulting, business and management consulting, public relations, construction, architectural, engineering, legal advisory, IT consultancy, market research and public opinion polling, technical testing and analysis and advertising services.
(8) With the aim of inhibiting circumvention practices, it is appropriate to prohibit the provision to the non-government controlled areas of certain software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture, and of related intellectual property rights or trade secrets.
(9) It is also appropriate to prohibit the supply to the non-government controlled areas of banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State.
(10) In order to minimise the risk of circumvention, it is appropriate to restrict the export to the non-government controlled areas of certain goods and technology that are also restricted by Decision 2014/512/CFSP.
(11) In order to ensure alignment with the interpretation of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-72/11 (4), it is appropriate to amend the provision prohibiting circumvention to clarify that the requirements of knowledge and intent are met not only where a person deliberately seeks the object or effect of circumventing restrictive measures but also where a person participating in an activity having the object or effect of circumventing restrictive measures is aware that such participation may have that object or that effect, and accepts that possibility.
(12) Decision (CFSP) 2022/266 should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Decision (CFSP) 2022/266 is amended as follows:

(1) Articles 3 and 4 are deleted.
(2) In Article 5, paragraph 3 is deleted.
(3) Article 6 is amended as follows:
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
‘1. It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology by nationals of Member States, or from the territories of Member States, or using vessels or aircraft under the jurisdiction of Member States, whether or not originating in the Union,
(a) to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1; or,
(b) for use in the non-government controlled areas referred to in Article 1,
in the following sectors:
(i) transport;
(ii) telecommunications;
(iii) energy; and
(iv) the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.’
;
(b) paragraph 3 is deleted.
(4) Article 7 is amended as follows:
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
‘1. It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping or tax consulting services, or business and management consulting or public relations services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.’
;
(b) the following paragraphs are inserted after paragraph 1:
‘1-a. It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, construction, architectural and engineering services, legal advisory services and IT consultancy services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.
1-b. It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services and advertising services to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.
1-c. It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export, or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas.
The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph.
1-d. It shall be prohibited to:
(a) provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services directly relating to infrastructure in the non-government controlled areas in the sectors referred to in Article 6(1), independently of the origin of the goods and technology;
(b) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;
(c) provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and services referred to in paragraphs 1, 1-a, 1-b and 1-c for their provision, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to legal persons, entities or bodies in the non-government controlled areas;
(d) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 1-c and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas or for use in the non-government controlled areas.
1-e. Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.
1-f. Paragraphs 1 and 1-a shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Decision and Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP (*1).
1-g. Paragraphs 1-a, 1-b and 1-c shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of services necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.
1-h. By way of derogation from paragraph 1-c, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that those services are necessary for the contribution of Ukrainian nationals to international open-source projects.
1-i. By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 1-d, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is necessary for:
(a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations;
(b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas;
(c) the functioning of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas;
(d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union, and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore;
(e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructures, hardware and software which are critical for human health and safety, or the safety of the environment;
(f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development;
(g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.
1-j. The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraphs 1-h or 1-i within two weeks of the authorisation.
(*1) Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ L 78, 17.3.2014, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2014/145(1)/oj).’.”

(c) In the introductory words of paragraph 1a, the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to:’ is replaced by the phrase ‘The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1 to 1-d shall not apply to:’.
(d) In paragraph 1b, the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraph 1a,’ is replaced by the phrase ‘In cases not covered by paragraphs 1 to 1-d,’.
(e) Paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted.
(5) In Article 8(1), point (a) is replaced by the following:
‘(a) necessary for official purposes of international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law located in the non-government controlled areas; or,’.
(6) In Article 9, paragraphs 2 and 3 are deleted.
(7) The following Articles are inserted:
‘Article 9a 1. It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State to the non-government controlled areas or to any natural or legal person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas, or for use in the non-government controlled areas. 2. The prohibition in paragraph 1 shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer or export of banknotes denominated in any official currency of a Member State provided that such sale, supply, transfer or export is necessary for:
(a) the personal use of natural persons travelling to the non-government controlled areas or members of their immediate families travelling with them;
(b) the official purposes of international organisations in the non-government controlled areas enjoying immunities in accordance with international law; or
(c) civil society and media activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in the non-government controlled areas which receive public funding from the Union, Member States or countries listed in the Annex.
Article 9b
It shall be prohibited to participate, knowingly and intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent prohibitions in this Decision, including by participating in such activities without deliberately seeking that object or effect but being aware that the participation may have that object or effect and accepting that possibility.
Article 9c 1. No claims in connection with any contract or transaction the performance of which has been affected, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the measures imposed under this Decision, including claims for indemnity or any other claim of this type, such as a claim for compensation or a claim under a guarantee, particularly a claim for extension or payment of a bond, guarantee or indemnity, particularly a financial guarantee or financial indemnity, of whatever form, shall be satisfied, if they are made by:
(a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex to Decision 2014/145/CFSP;
(b) any natural person who, or any legal person, entity or body which, has been found by an arbitral, judicial or administrative decision to have infringed the prohibitions set out in this Decision;
(c) any natural or legal person, entity or body, if the claim relates to goods the import of which is prohibited under Article 1;
(d) any person, entity or body in the non-government controlled areas;
(e) any Russian person, entity or body;
(f) any person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in points (a) to (e) of this paragraph. 2. In any proceedings for the enforcement of a claim, the onus of proving that satisfying the claim is not prohibited by paragraph 1 shall be on the natural or legal person, entity or body seeking the enforcement of that claim. 3. This Article is without prejudice to the right of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in paragraph 1 to judicial review of the legality of the non-performance of contractual obligations in accordance with this Decision.’.
(8) An annex is added in accordance with the Annex to this Decision.

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The following annex is added to Decision (CFSP) 2022/266:

‘ANNEX
List of countries referred to in Article 9a(2), point (c).
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
JAPAN
UNITED KINGDOM
SOUTH KOREA
AUSTRALIA
CANADA
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
SWITZERLAND
LIECHTENSTEIN
ICELAND’.

Commission Decision of 16 July 2025 on the approval of guidelines on the closure of the rural development programmes of the Member States adopted for assistance from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the period 2014-2022

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENC series
C/2025/3947 18.7.2025
(1) The rural development programmes of the Member States approved for assistance from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the programming period 2014-2020 were adopted under Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1)and extended until 31 December 2022 with the Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 of the European Parliament and of the Council(2).
(2) Taking into account the importance of timely and efficient closure of these rural development programmes in accordance in particular with Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(3), Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(4), Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014(5)and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014(6), it is necessary to provide proper guidance on the closure of these programmes.
(3) The closure of the 2014-2022 rural development programmes of the Member States will draw on the experience of the closure of the 2007-2013 rural development programming period and should propose simplified procedures aiming to build on the best practices identified during the closure of the previous period.
(4) The purpose of the guidelines is to facilitate the closure process by providing the methodological framework under which the closure exercise should take place for the financial settlement of outstanding Union’s budgetary commitments through payment of the final balance, recovery of sums unduly paid and/or decommitment of any unused commitments.
(5) The guidelines should therefore be approved,
— Programme amendments of the type referred to in Article 11, point (a)(i), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 may be proposed no more than four times during the duration of the programming period.
— A single amendment proposal may be submitted for the combination of all other types of amendments per calendar year and per programme, with the exception of 2025. 2025 is the only year when more than a single amendment proposal may be submitted provided that the combined amendments concern exclusively the adaptation of the financing plan, including any resulting changes to the indicator plan. In addition, four additional amendment proposals for the combination of all other types of amendments per programme may be submitted during the programming period. MS can use these additional amendment proposals in 2025, if not used before.
— Member States are to submit their last programme amendment of the type referred to in Article 11, point (a)(iii), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 to the Commission by 30 September 2022.
— Other types of programme amendments are to be submitted to the Commission by 30 September 2025.
(a) payments to final recipients, and in the cases referred to in Article 37(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 payments to the benefit of final recipients;
(b) resources committed for guarantee contracts, whether outstanding or already come to maturity, in order to honour possible guarantee calls for losses, calculated on the basis of a prudent ex ante risk assessment, covering a multiple amount of underlying new loans or other risk-bearing instruments for new investments in final recipients;
(c) capitalised interest rate subsidies or guarantee fee subsidies, due to be paid for a period not exceeding 10 years after the eligibility period, used in combination with financial instruments, paid into an escrow account specifically set up for that purpose, for effective disbursement after the eligibility period, but in respect of loans or other risk-bearing instruments disbursed for investments in final recipients within the eligibility period;
(d) reimbursement of management costs incurred or payment of management fees of the financial instrument.
(a) the discounted payment obligations in case of a capitalised interest rate or guarantee fee subsidies for a period not exceeding 10 years after the eligibility period, and/or
(b) the discounted management costs and fees to be paid after the eligibility period for a period of six years in case of micro-credit.
— the expenditure was a) incurred after 31 December 2025 (expenditure incurred is understood as the expenditure incurred by the paying agency) and b) is provided for in the CAP Strategic Plan in accordance with the rules of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, except for Article 73(3), first subparagraph, point (f), and c) complies with Regulation (EU) 2021/2116;
— the EAFRD contribution rate of the intervention established in the CAP Strategic Plan in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 to cover those measures applies.
Calculation of the final balance for a RDP
I -Verification of the respect of financial plan per measure: I – Verification of the respect of financial plan per measure:
I – Verification of the respect of financial plan per measure:
a)Total expenditure declared in annual declarations of the programming period 2014-2022 a) Total expenditure declared in annual declarations of the programming period 2014-2022
a) Total expenditure declared in annual declarations of the programming period 2014-2022
b)Adjustments b) Adjustments
b) Adjustments
c)Minus total capping at measure level c) Minus total capping at measure level
c) Minus total capping at measure level
II -Deduction of amounts already paid to the RDP: II – Deduction of amounts already paid to the RDP:
II – Deduction of amounts already paid to the RDP:
a)Pre-financing paid a) Pre-financing paid
a) Pre-financing paid
b)Interim payments b) Interim payments
b) Interim payments
= Final Balance due
– Suspensions/interruptions
= FINAL BALANCE to be paid or recovered
I – Verification of the respect of financial plan per measure:
a) Total expenditure declared in annual declarations of the programming period 2014-2022
b) Adjustments
c) Minus total capping at measure level
II – Deduction of amounts already paid to the RDP:
a) Pre-financing paid
b) Interim payments
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
(1) The rural development programmes of the Member States approved for assistance from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the programming period 2014-2020 were adopted under Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1)and extended until 31 December 2022 with the Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 of the European Parliament and of the Council(2).
(2) Taking into account the importance of timely and efficient closure of these rural development programmes in accordance in particular with Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(3), Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(4), Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014(5)and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014(6), it is necessary to provide proper guidance on the closure of these programmes.
(3) The closure of the 2014-2022 rural development programmes of the Member States will draw on the experience of the closure of the 2007-2013 rural development programming period and should propose simplified procedures aiming to build on the best practices identified during the closure of the previous period.
(4) The purpose of the guidelines is to facilitate the closure process by providing the methodological framework under which the closure exercise should take place for the financial settlement of outstanding Union’s budgetary commitments through payment of the final balance, recovery of sums unduly paid and/or decommitment of any unused commitments.
(5) The guidelines should therefore be approved,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article
The Commission guidelines on the closure of rural development programmes of the Member States adopted for assistance from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the period 2014-2022, as set out in the Annex, are hereby approved.

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
(1) The rural development programmes of the Member States approved for assistance from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the programming period 2014-2020 were adopted under Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1)and extended until 31 December 2022 with the Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 of the European Parliament and of the Council(2).
(2) Taking into account the importance of timely and efficient closure of these rural development programmes in accordance in particular with Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(3), Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(4), Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014(5)and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014(6), it is necessary to provide proper guidance on the closure of these programmes.
(3) The closure of the 2014-2022 rural development programmes of the Member States will draw on the experience of the closure of the 2007-2013 rural development programming period and should propose simplified procedures aiming to build on the best practices identified during the closure of the previous period.
(4) The purpose of the guidelines is to facilitate the closure process by providing the methodological framework under which the closure exercise should take place for the financial settlement of outstanding Union’s budgetary commitments through payment of the final balance, recovery of sums unduly paid and/or decommitment of any unused commitments.
(5) The guidelines should therefore be approved,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
The Commission guidelines on the closure of rural development programmes of the Member States adopted for assistance from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the period 2014-2022, as set out in the Annex, are hereby approved.

1.   GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CLOSURE

ANNEXGUIDELINES ON CLOSURE OF 2014-2022 RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMESThe rural development programmes of the Member States financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the programming period 2014-2020 were adopted under Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013(1)of the European Parliament and of the Council. The period laid down in Article 26(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 was extended until 31 December 2022 by Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 of the European Parliament and of the Council(2). Therefore, these guidelines apply to the programming period from 2014 to 2022.
These Guidelines apply to the closure of the rural development programmes, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013(3), Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013(4), Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014(5), Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014(6), Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 808/2014(7)and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014(8).
Closure of programmes concerns the financial settlement (in EUR) of the Union’s outstanding budgetary commitments through payment (in EUR) of any final balance to the Member State of each rural development programme (RDP) or a recovery (in EUR) of sums unduly paid by the Commission to a Member State and a de-commitment (in EUR) of any final balance.
All of the Commission’s and Member States’ rights and obligations regarding financial support remain valid until the closure of the rural development programmes. The closure of RDP does not affect the Commission’s right to adopt further financial corrections or recover unduly paid amounts.
As explained above, Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 (‘the Transitional Regulation’) adopted in 2020, extended the period laid down in Article 26(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 until 31 December 2022 (see Article 1(1) of Regulation (EU) 2020/2220).
The Transitional Regulation also introduced the possibility to finance rural development programmes with additional funding from the European Union Recovery Instrument (EURI)(9)for the years 2021 and 2022 to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and its consequences on the agricultural sector and rural areas of the Union. However, the additional EURI funds are subject to certain conditions and thus had to be programmed and monitored separately from the EAFRD support for rural development. Despite this separation, the rules laid down in Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, including the rules on amendments to rural development programmes, in Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, including the rules on automatic decommitment, and in Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 apply, unless otherwise provided for in the Transitional Regulation. The EURI part of the 2014-2022 rural development programmes will be closed at the same time as the EAFRD part. All rules applicable to EAFRD funds also apply to EURI funds, unless otherwise specified.
As a result of the Transitional Regulation, the 2014-2022 rural development programmes have been extended for two additional years(10)(except for the United Kingdom) with additional EAFRD and EURI funding and extended implementation until the end of 2025 (the end of the eligibility period for the rural development programmes)(11).
2. PREPARATION FOR CLOSURE
2.1. Guidance and assistance
The Commission will cooperate closely with the Member States in order to provide the necessary guidance and assistance in the run-up to closure.
2.2. Deadlines for the last request for changes in the programmes
The procedures and deadlines for amendments of the rural development programmes are specified in Article 4 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 808/2014.
2.2.1 Article 4(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 808/2014:

— | Programme amendments of the type referred to in Article 11, point (a)(i), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 may be proposed no more than four times during the duration of the programming period.
— | A single amendment proposal may be submitted for the combination of all other types of amendments per calendar year and per programme, with the exception of 2025. 2025 is the only year when more than a single amendment proposal may be submitted provided that the combined amendments concern exclusively the adaptation of the financing plan, including any resulting changes to the indicator plan. In addition, four additional amendment proposals for the combination of all other types of amendments per programme may be submitted during the programming period. MS can use these additional amendment proposals in 2025, if not used before.2.2.2 Article 4(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 808/2014:

— | Member States are to submit their last programme amendment of the type referred to in Article 11, point (a)(iii), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 to the Commission by 30 September 2022.
— | Other types of programme amendments are to be submitted to the Commission by 30 September 2025.2.3. Submission of quarterly declarations of expenditure before the closure
Member States are to continue to submit quarterly declarations of expenditure for the expenditure incurred by the paying agency until the final date of eligibility of expenditure in accordance with the timing set out in Article 22(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014. Therefore, the last quarterly declaration of expenditure to be received by the Commission is the one for the fourth quarter of 2025, for which a declaration of expenditure is to be submitted by 31 January 2026.
The total of the pre-financing and the intermediate payments paid by the Commission for the respective programme must not exceed 95% of the total EAFRD and EURI contribution provided for in the respective programme(12). This means that the Commission will have to stop reimbursing the quarterly declarations of expenditure when the cumulative amount paid to a RDP will reach 95% of the combined EAFRD and EURI total contribution (as established by the latest version of the decision approving the respective programme).
Once the RDP has reached the 95 % level of the combined total contribution from both EAFRD and EURI, the Commission will proceed with the clearing of the pre-financing with each subsequent declaration of expenditure. The final balance for the respective programme will be paid or recovered at the closure of the programme.
3. ELIGIBILITY OF EXPENDITURE
3.1. Final date of eligibility of expenditure and general applicable rules
Following Article 65(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013(13), the final date for eligibility of expenditure is 31 December 2025, which means that expenditure should be incurred by a beneficiary and paid before 31 December 2025. In addition, the expenditure will only be eligible for a contribution from EAFRD (and EURI) if the paying agency actually pays the relevant aid before 31 December 2025.
Payment of advances for measures that do not fall under the integrated administration and control system (non-IACS)(14)are allowed pursuant to Article 42 and Article 45 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013. According to Article 63 of that Regulation, advances are to be secured with a bank guarantee, or an equivalent guarantee provided by a public authority. The guarantee may be released when the competent paying agency establishes that the amount of the actual expenditure corresponding to the public contribution related to the operation exceeds the amount of the advance.
As 2025 is the last year of implementation of the RDP, Member States have to clear advances paid to beneficiaries and related to projects completed under the 2014-2022 programming period.
In the context of carry-over as specified in point 3.8 below, advances not cleared by a Member State by the end of 2025 should be linked to ongoing projects for which the financing will be ensured under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027 pursuant to Article 155(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115(15).
Any uncleared/unused advances for EAFRD 2014-2022 or for EURI not linked to carry-over under the CAP Strategic Plan before 31 December 2025, must be recovered from the beneficiary to ensure the protection of the financial interest of the Union. In case the Member State does not initiate recovery procedures for these amounts before the deadline to submit the final account or declare a self-correction in the final accounts for this amount, the Commission will deduct these amounts from the final balance in the financial clearance of the accounts procedure before closure.
The Certification Body in the respective Member State will need to confirm in the report concerning the final accounts due by 30 June 2026 that advances paid to the beneficiaries under the 2014-2022 programming period are cleared, and that only advances related to projects with final payments under the CAP Strategic Plan for the 2023-2027 period remain uncleared, or that Member State has initiated the necessary recovery procedures.
3.2. Additional national financing
The eligibility date of 31 December 2025 does not apply to additional national financing. Therefore, payments from additional national resources to beneficiaries of the rural development programme may be made after 31 December 2025.
Member States may support farmers with additional national financing outside the rural development programme in compliance with State aid rules. For additional national financing included in rural development plans under Article 82 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, payments made after the closure of the programme must be subject to a separate State aid assessment. It is the responsibility of the Member State to obtain this authorisation in advance to ensure that payments to beneficiaries are compliant with State aid rules.
Additionally, Member States are responsible for ensuring that beneficiaries fulfil their commitments throughout the specified period, even if part of the commitment extends beyond the rural development programme’s closure. This requires Member States to carry out the necessary checks in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 until the end of the commitment period. If commitments are not, or not fully, complied with until the end of the commitment period, Member States must recover the corresponding amounts and reimburse them to the Union budget (see transitional rules in Article 104(1), point (a)(iv), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116(16)and Article 14, point (b), of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1173).
3.3. Financial plan – capping of expenditure by measure
The Commission is obliged to cap any declared expenditure exceeding the amounts programmed in the financial plan in force for each measure in accordance with Article 36(3), point (b), of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
If the expenditure is capped for a measure, and a Member State makes duly justified changes in its RDP within the time limits specified in Article 4 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 808/2014, the expenditure excluded may be paid later after acceptance of the RDP modification by the Commission (as provided for in Article 23(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014).
3.4. Special provisions concerning expenditure for operations specified in Article 59(4), points (e), (f) and (g), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013
The following section explains the specific provisions for expenditure on operations referred to in Article 59(4), points (e), (f) and (g) of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, which provide for derogations from the EAFRD contribution rates laid down in Article 59(3). These derogations apply to specific cases where higher co-financing rates are permitted under certain conditions, which require verification and possible adjustments at closure to ensure compliance with the rules.
Article 59(4), point (e), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 provides that the maximum co-financing rate is 100% for operations receiving funding from funds transferred to the EAFRD in application of Article 136a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 and Article 7(2) and Article 14(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013. Therefore, compliance with this provision will be checked at closure. If the cumulative expenditure declared by the Member State exceeds the amounts allocated as transfers from other funds to EAFRD, a payment correction (capping) will be applied.
Article 59(4), point (f), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 provides that the co-financing rate is 100% for an amount of EUR 100 million (in 2011 prices) allocated to Ireland, for an amount of EUR 500 million (in 2011 prices) allocated to Portugal and for an amount of EUR 7 million (in 2011 prices) allocated to Cyprus.
At closure, compliance with Article 59(4), point (f), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 will be verified. If the cumulative total expenditure declared by the Member State concerned for all relevant budget lines exceeds the amounts allocated in accordance with Article 59(4), point (f), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, a payment correction (capping) must be applied.
Article 59(4), point (g), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 allowed Member States (Greece and Romania) receiving financial assistance as of 1 January 2014 in accordance with Article 136 and 143 TFEU to increase the EAFRD contribution rate by a maximum of 10 percentage points up to a total of 95%. for expenditure incurred in the first two years of the implementation of a rural development programme (i.e. until the second quarter of 2017 for Romania and the fourth quarter of 2017 for Greece). However, Article 59(4), point (g)also requires that the EAFRD contribution rate which would be applicable without this derogation shall be respected for the total public expenditure made during the programming period.
At closure, the Commission will verify that the temporary derogation under Article 59(4), point (g), has been correctly applied by the relevant Member States. Specifically, the Commission will check that, after a 2-year period, the contribution rate used does not exceed to the applicable maximum rates set out in Article 59(3) for the entire programming period. Compliance with Article 59(4), point (g), of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 is checked and corrections should be made in case of non-compliance.
3.5. Specific eligibility rules applicable to financial instruments actions under Article 42 of Regulation (EU) 1303/2013
In the programming period 2014-2022, only loan and guarantee funds have been set up by EAFRD managing authorities. Therefore, these guidelines do not go into details regarding equity or quasi-equity financial instruments (FI).
The eligibility of the financial instruments’ expenditure at closure is defined in Article 42 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 (and in the relevant provisions in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 480/2014(17), as explained in the following paragraphs). According to Article 42 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, at closure of a programme, the eligible expenditure of the financial instrument will be the total amount of programme contributions effectively paid or, in the case of guarantees, committed by the financial instrument within the eligibility period, corresponding to:

(a) | payments to final recipients, and in the cases referred to in Article 37(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 payments to the benefit of final recipients;
(b) | resources committed for guarantee contracts, whether outstanding or already come to maturity, in order to honour possible guarantee calls for losses, calculated on the basis of a prudent ex ante risk assessment, covering a multiple amount of underlying new loans or other risk-bearing instruments for new investments in final recipients;
(c) | capitalised interest rate subsidies or guarantee fee subsidies, due to be paid for a period not exceeding 10 years after the eligibility period, used in combination with financial instruments, paid into an escrow account specifically set up for that purpose, for effective disbursement after the eligibility period, but in respect of loans or other risk-bearing instruments disbursed for investments in final recipients within the eligibility period;
(d) | reimbursement of management costs incurred or payment of management fees of the financial instrument.Only expenditure incurred in accordance with Article 42 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 can be considered eligible. Investments by the final recipients do not need to be completed.
Programme resources committed to FI in the funding agreement and/or paid to it, but not disbursed to final recipients or set aside for guarantee contracts for the disbursed underlying loans, etc., are not eligible expenditure.
The eligibility period and subsequent submission of final accounts are subject to the transitional provisions set out in Article 1 and Article 2(1) of the Transitional Regulation.
For loans, the eligible expenditure corresponds to the programme resources effectively disbursed to final recipients as stated by Article 42 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013. Programme resources committed in the contracts with final recipients and not disbursed, are not eligible. Interest rate subsidies, guarantee fee subsidies and technical support paid to the benefit of final recipients during the eligibility period are also eligible expenditure.
For guarantees, programme resources committed for guarantee contracts are eligible only if the underlying loans or other risk-bearing instruments have been disbursed to final recipients. If the financial intermediary or the entity benefiting from the guarantees has not disbursed the planned amount of new loans or other risk-sharing instruments to final recipients, the eligible expenditure will be reduced proportionally (as provided for in Article 8, point (d), of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 480/2014).
The eligibility of expenditure defined in Article 42(1), point (c), concerns the case of combination of grants and financial instruments in one single operation as defined in Article 37(7) of Regulation EU No 1303/2013. The calculations have to also take into account the relevant funding agreements as required by Article 11 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 480/2014.
The amount to be paid to an escrow account contains:

(a) | the discounted payment obligations in case of a capitalised interest rate or guarantee fee subsidies for a period not exceeding 10 years after the eligibility period, and/or
(b) | the discounted management costs and fees to be paid after the eligibility period for a period of six years in case of micro-credit.The approach for establishing the amount to be paid into an escrow account, as long as there is clear reasoning for the choice of methodology, may differ. Member States may either (i) follow the project finance approach and use 4% suggested in case of operations generating net revenue (Article 19 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 480/2014), or (ii) apply the base rates set by the Commission.(18)
Article 42(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 provides for an exception regarding micro-credit. Capitalised management costs or fees due to be paid for a period not exceeding six years after the eligibility period, in respect of investments in final recipients which occurred within the eligibility period, which cannot be covered by Articles 44 or 45, may be considered as eligible expenditure when paid into an escrow account specifically set up for that purpose. In addition, according to Article 14(1), (2) and (4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 480/2014 capitalised management costs and fees to be reimbursed as eligible expenditure in accordance with Article 42(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 have to be calculated at the end of the eligibility period as the total of discounted management costs and fees to be paid after the eligibility period for the period laid down in Article 42(2) of that Regulation, and in accordance with the relevant funding agreements. Capitalised management costs and fees to be paid after the eligibility period for a financial instrument providing micro-credit should not exceed 1 % per annum of the programme contributions paid to the final recipients within the meaning of Article 42(1), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 in the form of loans, which have yet to be paid back to the financial instrument, calculated pro rata temporis from the end of the eligibility period until repayment of the investment, the end of the recovery procedure in the case of defaults or the period referred to in Article 42(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, whichever is earlier. Any resources left in the escrow account after the period referred to under Article 42(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, or as a result of an unexpected winding-up of the financial instrument before the end of that period, have to be used in accordance with Article 45 of that same Regulation.
Reinvested resources, returned or released guarantees cannot be declared as eligible expenditure, i.e. funds falling under a second and subsequent cycles of investment.
Further, resources from treasury management invested pursuant to Article 43 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 are also considered ineligible expenditure at closure. Interest earned on payments from the RDP to the financial instrument, which are attributable to the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds contribution concerns treasury management of the RDP resources paid to the financial instrument. At closure of the RDP, any of these amounts which have not been used in accordance with Article 43 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 should be deducted from the eligible expenditure.
If there is net negative interest, it can be covered from the resources returned according to Article 44(1), point (b), of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.
In all cases, records should be maintained by the Managing Authority.
The payment of the final balance is regulated by Article 41(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.
With regard to the re-use of resources after the end of the eligibility period, Article 45 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 applies.
In the period remaining until closure, Member States and Managing Authorities may withdraw contributions from programmes to the financial instruments referred to in Article 38(1), points (a) and (c), and from the financial instruments referred to in Article 38(1), point (b), implemented in accordance with Article 38(4), points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 only if the contributions have not already been included in an application for payment as referred to in Article 41 of that Regulation.
3.6. Carry-over of integrated administration and control system (IACS) interventions from the RDPs 2014-2022 to the CAP Strategic Plans 2023-2027
Under Article 155(3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, commitments incurred under the multi-annual measures specified in Articles 22, 28, 29, 33, and 34 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 (corresponding to measures 8.1, 10, 11, 14, and 15 of the rural development programmes) can be carried over to interventions pursuant to Article 70 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the CAP Strategic Plan (EAFRD). Additionally, Article 155(5) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 permits commitments under Articles 28 and 29 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 (measures 10 and 11 of the rural development programmes) to receive support from the EAGF (eco-schemes) in the CAP Strategic Plan, provided these commitments fulfil specific conditions, such as eligibility for ‘eco-schemes type b’ under Article 31(7), first sub-paragraph, point (b).
New conditionality requirements apply to expenditure carried-over from ongoing RDP commitments to the CAP Plan which will be funded from the CAP Plan budget (2023–2027). Article 48 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 allows farmers to withdraw from these commitments if they do not agree to the new conditions, such as those related to conditionality.
3.6.1. Payments Across Programming Periods
Paying advances under the RDP while settling final payments under the CAP Plans should only occur in exceptional cases and to a limited extend regulated by Article 155 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115.
As Article 155 provides for the eligibility of certain expenditure incurred in the previous programming periods under the condition that such expenditure is included in the CAP Plans and respects the rules of the new legislative framework, the rules relating to their obligations as well as rules on checks and controls might change significantly for beneficiaries in case of measures under integrated administration and control system (IACS). Hence, combining payments for an individual commitment from two programming periods, governed by distinct legal frameworks, creates significant administrative complexity for both Managing Authorities and beneficiaries and should be avoided as much as possible.
To address potential funding gaps and avoid the complexity of applying different sets of rules to the expenditure incurred in the two programming periods, Member States can explore other possibilities, such as reallocating the RDP financial envelope or using additional national financing (“top-up”) to ensure that final payments can be processed under the RDP.
Member States also should keep in mind that costs incurred by beneficiaries are only eligible under CAP Plans if incurred as of 1 January 2023 (Article 86(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115).
3.6.2. Conditionality and Cross-Compliance Checks
Following the recent simplification of Article 83(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 (amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1468(19)), farmers with a maximum size of holding not exceeding 10 ha are exempted from conditionality controls. Consequently, they are not subject to the system of controls for conditionality and for this reason these farmers are not exempted from controls concerning cross-compliance in accordance with Article 104(1), second subparagraph, point (a)(iv), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116. In different words, farmers with a maximum size of holdings not exceeding 10 ha are subject to controls concerning cross-compliance when they are receiving the relevant support from rural development plans.
Prior to the recent amendment of Article 104(1), second subparagraph, point (a)(iv), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116, Article 12 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172 laid down transitional rules reducing excessive administrative costs and burdens related to checks for certain beneficiaries, subject at the same time to cross-compliance and conditionality. For beneficiaries receiving area-based payments, the rule in Article 12 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172 limited the checks only to conditionality requirements. Only where a non-compliance with conditionality requirements was found, the corresponding cross-compliance obligation was to be checked. However, following the amendment of Article 104(1), second subparagraph, point (a)(iv) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 such corresponding cross-compliance obligations do not have to be checked in cases of non-compliance with conditionality requirements (as Articles 96 and 97 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 have been repealed).
3.7. Carry-over of non-IACS interventions from the RDPs 2014-2022 to the CAP Strategic Plans 2023-2027
Pursuant to Article 155(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, expenditure relating to legal commitments to beneficiaries incurred under the measures mentioned in that Article(20)may be eligible for an EAFRD contribution under the CAP Strategic Plans under the following conditions:

— | the expenditure was a) incurred after 31 December 2025 (expenditure incurred is understood as the expenditure incurred by the paying agency) and b) is provided for in the CAP Strategic Plan in accordance with the rules of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, except for Article 73(3), first subparagraph, point (f), and c) complies with Regulation (EU) 2021/2116;
— | the EAFRD contribution rate of the intervention established in the CAP Strategic Plan in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 to cover those measures applies.In this context, legal commitments are understood as commitments to the beneficiaries which are grant decisions or other administrative acts adopted by the national authority that give rise to legitimate expectations of the beneficiary.
Member States may include the carried-over expenditure in their CAP Strategic Plans(21), by planning a separate intervention or by including the expenditure in an existing intervention with a separate unit amount. The carried-over expenditure should be indicated in the financial plan. This will then be approved by the European Commission in the context of an amendment of the CAP Strategic plan.
Expenditure related to commitments for investments in large-scale infrastructure, eligible under Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 but not under the CAP Strategic Plans pursuant to Article 73(3), first subparagraph, point (f), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, can be included in the CAP Strategic Plan, but only for the purpose of carry-over. This exception is provided for in Article 155(4), point (a), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. Therefore, such an intervention cannot be used for new commitments under the CAP Strategic Plan but can only be used to finance remaining commitments made under the RDP. This can be done, either by planning a separate intervention in the CAP Strategic Plan, or by planning, within an existing intervention, an action/sub-intervention providing for financing of the investment in large scale infrastructure started under the RDP.
With regard to the carry-over of expenditure related to commitments in the context of LEADER, this is possible pursuant to Article 155(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. However, given that LEADER concerns projects implemented by Local Action Groups in the context of local development strategies approved under RDPs 2014-2022, which have to be finished by the end of the programming period, such carry-over should be limited and linked to duly justified specific circumstances.
In principle, Article 155(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 allows for the carry-over of all kinds of LEADER support (including preparatory actions). However, this carry-over of commitments, in practice, primarily concerns projects with legal commitments under RDP sub-measure 19.2 (Support for the implementation of operations under the Community-Led Local Development strategy) where for justified reasons specific projects cannot be finished before the end of 2025, despite initially being planned to finish on time. Member States, however, are to provide information in their CAP Strategic Plan management and control systems about the payments and controls of such projects.
In general, Member States are advised to limit the amounts of carry-over commitments as much as possible and tailor the calls to the still available budget under the RDPs with a view to implementing the projects before the end of 2025. However, to make best use of available funds and minimize the risk of unused EAFRD/EURI budget, a certain level of overbooking and possible carry-over is acceptable, as long as the conditions of Article 155(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 are fulfilled.
3.8. Interest generated by the pre-financing
As required by Article 35(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the Commission is to clear the total prefinancing amount in the clearance of accounts decision before the rural development programme is closed. To that end, Member States are kindly asked to post to the rural development programme the interest generated on the prefinancing they received and to deduct it from the amount of public expenditure indicated on the final declaration of expenditure.
4. SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS FOR CLOSURE
4.1. Documents to be provided by Member States for the closure
The Commission clears the accounts of the accredited paying agencies each year(22). Consequently, the closure of a programme will be based on the annual accounts for all the successive financial years (2015-2025) and the corresponding financial clearance decisions.
According to Article 7(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the annual accounts of an accredited paying agency are to be accompanied by a management declaration signed by the person in charge of the accredited paying agency. In accordance with Article 9(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, read together with Article 5(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014, the certification body is to provide an opinion on the completeness, accuracy and veracity of the annual accounts of the paying agency, on the proper functioning of the paying agency’s internal control system and on the legality and regularity of the expenditure for which reimbursement has been requested from the Commission. The certification body is to draft that opinion based on the audit principles and methods set out in Articles 6 and 7 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014. That opinion has to be supported by a report that makes the statements required under Article 5(4) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014. Details regarding the content of the paying agency’s annual accounts are set out in Article 29 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014.
The Commission will specify the information to be submitted by the Member States in relation to the closure for the EAFRD programming period 2014-2022 (clearance of the last annual accounts) and establish specific guidelines containing guidance to the Member State’s certification bodies on the certification audit and reporting to be performed for the closure of the EAFRD programming period 2014-2022(23).
In accordance with Article 37 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the closure of a programme can be done only after receiving the last annual progress report on the implementation (i.e. the annual implementation report).
4.2. Deadline for the submission of the documents for closure
The deadline for the submission of the last annual implementation report is30 June 2026(Article 75(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013).
The documents needed for the clearance of the accounts concerning financial year 2025 should be sent to the Commission by 15 February 2026(24). Each financial year covers expenditure incurred by the paying agencies from 16 October (n-1) until 15 October (n). In addition, for the final execution year (16 October 2024 until 31 December 2025) Member States are to present the accounts covering the expenditure incurred until 31 December 2025 to the Commission, no later than six months after the final eligibility date, i.e. by 30 June 2026(25).
If the Member State has not submitted the above-mentioned documents to the Commission by 30 June 2026, the balance will be automatically de-committed(26).
4.3. Changing documents after the deadline for their submission
In general, the Member State will not be allowed to modify any of the documents listed under point 4.2 after the deadline for their submission, unless requested by the Commission following clarifications during the reconciliation process, except for correcting clerical mistakes.
At the request of the Commission or on the initiative of the Member State, further information concerning the clearance of accounts may be addressed to the Commission within a period determined by the Commission, taking into account the amount of work required for providing that information. In the absence of such information, the Commission may clear the accounts based on the information in its possession(27).
In duly justified cases, the Commission may accept a request for late submission of information, if that request is received before the deadline for submission concerned(28).
4.4. Availability of documents (29) The supporting documents regarding the expenditure financed and the assigned revenues to be collected by the EAFRD (including EURI) must be kept at the disposal of the Commission for at least three years following the year in which the final payment by the paying agency has taken place.
In the case of irregularities or negligence, the supporting documents must be kept at the disposal of the Commission for at least three years following the year in which the amounts are entirely recovered from the beneficiary and credited to the EAFRD (including EURI) or in which the financial consequences of non-recovery are determined under Article 54(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
In the case of a conformity clearance procedure provided for in Article 52 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the supporting documents, with the exception of cases of irregularities, must be kept for at least one year following the year in which that procedure has been closed with or without a financial correction or, if a conformity decision is the subject of legal proceedings before the Court of Justice, for at least one year following the year in which those proceedings are closed.
The supporting documents may be kept either in paper form, in electronic form or in both forms.
Documents may only be kept exclusively in electronic form if the national law of the Member State concerned permits the use of electronic documents as evidence of the underlying transactions in national court proceedings.
If the documents are kept in electronic form only, the system for doing so is to comply with point 3(B) of Annex I to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/127.
5. CLOSURE OF THE PROGRAMMES
5.1. Clearance of accounts
The last clearance of accounts decision preceding the closure of a rural development programme will be based on the same documentation (Article 29 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014) as any earlier annual clearance decision but will have a different timeline and will concern five “quarters” instead of four.
The last clearance of accounts decision preceding the closure will determine the amounts of expenditure effected in the Member State during the period from 16 October 2024 to 31 December 2025, which will be chargeable to the EAFRD based on the accounts referred to in Article 29 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014. The last clearance of accounts decision will also determine the eligible expenditure for the financial instruments referred to in Article 42(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 and any reductions and suspensions under Articles 41 and 42 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
As a result of the clearance of accounts decision, the amount that is recoverable from or payable to the Member State will be established by deducting the intermediate payments in respect of the period from 16 October 2024 to 31 December 2025 from the expenditure recognised as being chargeable to the Fund for the same period. However, when the pre-financing and the intermediate payments reach 95% of the total EAFRD and EURI contribution (see point 2.3 of these Guidelines), the Commission will proceed with the clearing of the pre-financing with each following declaration of expenditure. In this case, the amount recoverable or payable will be established by deducting the intermediate payments in respect of the period from 16 October 2024 to 31 December 2025 and the cleared pre-financing amount for the respective period from the expenditure recognised as being chargeable to the fund for the same period.
The Commission will communicate to the Member State the results of its examination of the accounts, together with any amendments it proposes, within three months of receiving the final accounts.
If for reasons attributable to the Member State the Commission is unable to clear the accounts within four months of receiving them, the Commission will notify the Member State of the additional inquiries it proposes to undertake.
5.2. Calculation of the closure balance
In the clearance of accounts decision referred to in point 5.1. of these Guidelines, the Commission will also calculate and incorporate the balance to be paid or recovered at the closure of a rural development programme. However, it should be noted that if there are annual accounts for previous financial years that are still not cleared after the clearance decision for the last execution year, the programme cannot be closed, and the balance cannot be paid.
Any pending recovery orders issued by the Commission will be offset from the payment of the final balance.
Where a Member State has made financial adjustments following its controls and has recovered the corresponding amounts, it has to reallocate the amounts to the programme concerned. In accordance with Article 56 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, amounts of the Union financing under the EAFRD which are cancelled and amounts recovered, as well as the interest thereon, are to be reallocated to the programme concerned. Therefore, amounts recovered from irregularities concerning the 2014-2022 programming period cannot be used to fund operations under the CAP Strategic Plan, nor can they be reallocated to operations/projects which have been subject to a financial adjustment(30). At the closure of a RDP, the amounts which the Member State has not reused, have to be returned to the Union budget and therefore will be deducted from the final balance.
At the closure of a RDP, the Commission will also take account of the last annual progress report on the implementation of a rural development programme referred to in Article 75 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013. The Commission will inform the Member State within five months of the results of its examination of this report(31).
The Commission will take any pending payments reduced or suspended under Articles 41 and 42 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 into account in the closure balance by reducing the final payment by these amounts of reductions and suspensions.
The Commission will inform the Member State in writing of its proposal for the balance to be paid or recovered.
An example of the final balance calculation is provided in Table 1 of these Guidelines.
5.3. Reductions due to non-respect of the payment deadline at the programme closure
The verification of the respect of the last payment deadline for the payments to the beneficiaries under RDP programmes preceding the closure of a rural development programme will be based on the same provisions (Article 75(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 and Article 5a of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014) as each annual payment deadline exercise, but will have a different timing, similarly to the last clearance of accounts decision.
The calculation of the 5% threshold referred to in Article 5a(2) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 907/2014 for the last year of implementation will not change, i.e. the reserve period will take into account the following quarters: Q3 2024 until Q2 2025. Q3 and Q4 2025 will be treated as late payment quarters and will not change the reserve.
The last calculation of the payment deadlines reduction for a given programme will be based on 5 instead of 4 quarters i.e. Q4 2025 will be taken into account.
5.4. Payment of the balance
The Commission will pay the balance, subject to resource availability, not later than six months after the last annual accounts and the annual progress report are considered to be receivable, and all the annual accounts have been cleared.(32)This payment of the final balance is without prejudice to any later conformity decisions after the closure of a programme.
5.5. De-commitments
The part of budget commitments that is still open on the last eligibility date for expenditure (31 December 2025) for which the Member State has not made a declaration of expenditure by 30 June 2026 will be automatically de-committed by the Commission(33).
After paying the balance, the Commission will de-commit any outstanding open commitments within six months after the closure(34).
According to Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council (‘the Financial Regulation’)(35), de-committed appropriations may be made available again in the event of a manifest error attributable solely to the Commission.
6. RESPONSIBILITIES AFTER CLOSURE
6.1. Follow-up of undue payments detected after the submission of the documents for closure
The responsibility to recover undue payments does not end at the closure of a rural development programme, but the Member States have to pursue the recovery of any undue payments detected after the closure of the programmes where Union funds have been paid to the beneficiaries, as per Article 59(1), point (e), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116(36).
The amounts concerned are to be reported to the Commission in accordance with Annexes II and III to Regulation (EU) No 908/2014 and the “50/50” table, for the purposes of Article 54(2), first and second subparagraph, and Article 54(3), second subparagraph of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
Article 54 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 is applicable to the ongoing recovery procedures and to the recovery procedures to be initiated as regards the unduly paid amounts arising from the EAFRD 2014-2022 programming period.
A Member State may decide to halt the recovery procedure, in cases where the costs incurred are higher than the amount to be recovered as specified in Article 54(3), point (a), of Regulation 1306/2013 or when the recovery proves impossible due to the insolvency, recorded and recognised under national law, of the debtor or the person legally responsible for the irregularity, as specified in Article 54(3), point (b), of Regulation 1306/2013.
The amounts to be charged to the Member States in relation to the outstanding irregularity cases which will fall under the 50/50 rule(37)after the closure decision will have to be refunded to the Union budget on a yearly basis.
6.2. Conformity clearance after closure
The closure of a rural development programme does not pre-judge any later conformity clearance decision, which could include amounts to be charged to the Member State following audits by the Commission.
6.3. Assessment of the performance framework at closure
The assessment of the achievement of the final target of the RDP performance framework will take place in 2026 based on the final Annual Implementation Report. In this assessment, the Commission ascertains the degree of achievement of the final targets and identifies any serious failures in their achievement.
Serious failure to achieve a performance framework priority means that the achievement rate of a target or targets (where there are more than two targets per priority) is below a certain percentage as defined in Article 6 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 215/2014. Furthermore, the finding of a serious failure to achieve a priority is subject to a number of cumulative conditions as provided for in Article 22(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013. Before the Commission can establish a serious failure to achieve a priority, it has to establish that the serious failure is due to a weakness in implementation and communicate that to the Managing Authority, which must be given a possibility for corrective action.
The Commission may apply a financial correction for an established serious failure of a performance framework priority but is not obliged to do so.
The Commission will not apply financial corrections where the failure to achieve a performance framework priority is due to the impact of socio-economic or environmental factors, significant changes in the economic or environmental conditions in the Member State concerned or because of reasons of force majeure seriously affecting the implementation of the priorities concerned(38).

TABLE 1: Example of final balance calculation

Calculation of the final balance for a RDP
I -Verification of the respect of financial plan per measure: | I – | Verification of the respect of financial plan per measure:
I – | Verification of the respect of financial plan per measure:
a)Total expenditure declared in annual declarations of the programming period 2014-2022 | a) | Total expenditure declared in annual declarations of the programming period 2014-2022
a) | Total expenditure declared in annual declarations of the programming period 2014-2022
b)Adjustments | b) | Adjustments
b) | Adjustments
c)Minus total capping at measure level | c) | Minus total capping at measure level
c) | Minus total capping at measure level
II -Deduction of amounts already paid to the RDP: | II – | Deduction of amounts already paid to the RDP:
II – | Deduction of amounts already paid to the RDP:
a)Pre-financing paid | a) | Pre-financing paid
a) | Pre-financing paid
b)Interim payments | b) | Interim payments
b) | Interim payments
= Final Balance due
– Suspensions/interruptions
= FINAL BALANCE to be paid or recovered
(1) Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 (OJ L 347 20.12.2013, p. 487, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1305/oj).
(2) Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down certain transitional provisions for support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) in the years 2021 and 2022 and amending Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 as regards resources and application in the years 2021 and 2022 and Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 as regards resources and the distribution of such support in respect of the years 2021 and 2022 (OJ L437, 28.12.2020, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/2220/oj).
(3) Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347 20.12.2013, p. 320, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1303/oj).
(4) Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 352/78, (EC) No 165/94, (EC) No 2799/98, (EC) No 814/2000, (EC) No 1290/2005 and (EC) No 485/2008 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 549, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1306/oj).
(5) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014 of 11 March 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to paying agencies and other bodies, financial management, clearance of accounts, securities and use of euro (OJ L 255, 28.8.2014, p. 18, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2014/907/oj).
(6) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014 of 6 August 2014 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to paying agencies and other bodies, financial management, clearance of accounts, rules on checks, securities and transparency (OJ L 255, 28.8.2014, p. 59, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2014/908/oj).
(7) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 808/2014 of 17 July 2014 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (OJ L 227, 31.7.2014, p. 18, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2014/808/oj).
(8)
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 of 17 July 2014 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the integrated administration and control system, rural development measures and cross compliance (OJ L 227, 31.7.2014, p. 69, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2014/809/oj)
(9) Council Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 of 14 December 2020 establishing a European Union Recovery Instrument to support the recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis (OJ L 433I, 22.12.2020, p. 23, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/2094/oj)
(10) Article 1 of Regulation (EU) 2020/2220.
(11) Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 extended the deadline for eligibility of the EAFRD expenditure as set in Article 65(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.
(12) Article 34(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(13) The deadline set in Article 65(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 was extended for two years by Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2020/2220.
(14) Article 67(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 lists rural development measures which are covered by IACS system. Non-IACS measures are measures which are not listed in this article.
(15) Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 (OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115/oj).
(16) Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management, and monitoring of the Common Agricultural Policy and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 (OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 187, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2116/oj).
(17) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 480/2014 of 3 March 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (OJ L 138 13.5.2014, p. 5, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2014/480/2019-05-30).
(18) The methodology is set out in the Communication from the Commission on the revision of the method for setting the reference and discount rates (2008/C 14/02) (OJ C 14, 19.1.2008, p.6). Base rates are published here: https://competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-12/reference_rates_base_rates2024_1_croatia_eurozone.pdf.
(19) Regulation (EU) 2024/1468 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 amending Regulations (EU) 2021/2115 and (EU) 2021/2116 as regards good agricultural and environmental condition standards, schemes for climate, environment and animal welfare, amendment of the CAP Strategic Plans, review of the CAP Strategic Plans and exemptions from controls and penalties (OJ L, 2024/1468, 24.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1468/oj)
(20) The following Articles are concerned: Articles 14 to 18, Article 19(1), points (a) and (b), and Articles 20, 23 to 27, 35, 38, 39 and 39a of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, Article 35 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 and Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2020/2220.
(21) According to the structure of Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2289 of 21 December 2021 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the presentation of the content of the CAP Strategic Plans and on the electronic system for the secure exchange of information, in particular points 5(d) and (e) (OJ L 458, 22.12.2021, p. 463, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/2289/oj).
(22) Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(23) Guidelines for the Certification Audit of the EAGF/EAFRD Accounts – Reporting Requirements and Opinions issued by the Certification Body.
(24) Article 30(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014.
(25) Article 37(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(26) Article 37(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(27) Article 30(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014.
(28) Article 30(4) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014.
(29) Article 32 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014.
(30) Article 56 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(31) Article 50(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.
(32) Article 37(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(33) Article 38(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(34) Article 37(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(35) Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012. This Regulation has been repealed by Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. However, pursuant to its Article 277(4), repealed Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 continues to apply to legal commitments entered into before the entry into force of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. Pursuant to Article 76 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 regarding the legal commitments in the rural development programs, Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 thus still applies.
(36) Previous Article 58(1)(e) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(37) Article 54(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
(38) Article 22(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.

Council Decision of 8 July 2025 replacing an alternate member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for Austria

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENC series
C/2025/3946 16.7.2025
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as alternate member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Anna RITZBERGER-MOSER.
(3) The Government of Austria has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/126 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94(1), and in particular Article 4 thereof,
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as alternate member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Anna RITZBERGER-MOSER.
(3) The Government of Austria has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1
Ms Alexandra MARX is appointed alternate member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in place of Ms Anna RITZBERGER-MOSER for the remainder of the current term of office, ending on 31 March 2027.

Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/126 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94(1), and in particular Article 4 thereof,
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as alternate member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Anna RITZBERGER-MOSER.
(3) The Government of Austria has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Ms Alexandra MARX is appointed alternate member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in place of Ms Anna RITZBERGER-MOSER for the remainder of the current term of office, ending on 31 March 2027.
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Council Decision of 8 July 2025 replacing an alternate member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for Estonia

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENC series
C/2025/3943 16.7.2025
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as alternate member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Marika LIIV.
(3) Estonia has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/126 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94(1), and in particular Article 4 thereof,
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as alternate member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Marika LIIV.
(3) Estonia has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1
Ms Kaire SAAREP is appointed alternate member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in place of Ms Marika LIIV for the remainder of the current term of office, ending on 31 March 2027.

Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/126 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94(1), and in particular Article 4 thereof,
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as alternate member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Marika LIIV.
(3) Estonia has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Ms Kaire SAAREP is appointed alternate member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in place of Ms Marika LIIV for the remainder of the current term of office, ending on 31 March 2027.
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Council Decision of 8 July 2025 replacing a member of the Advisory Committee on freedom of movement for workers for Belgium

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENC series
C/2025/3945 16.7.2025
(1) By Decision of 23 September 2024(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Advisory Committee on freedom of movement for workers for the period from 25 September 2024 to 24 September 2026.
(2) A seat as member in the trade union representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Sihame FATTAH.
(3) Belgium has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 492/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2011 on freedom of movement for workers within the Union(1), and in particular Articles 23 and 24 thereof,
(1) By Decision of 23 September 2024(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Advisory Committee on freedom of movement for workers for the period from 25 September 2024 to 24 September 2026.
(2) A seat as member in the trade union representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Sihame FATTAH.
(3) Belgium has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1
Ms Marie HANSE is appointed member of the Advisory Committee on freedom of movement for workers in place of Ms Sihame FATTAH for the remainder of the current term of office, ending on 24 September 2026.

Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 492/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2011 on freedom of movement for workers within the Union(1), and in particular Articles 23 and 24 thereof,
(1) By Decision of 23 September 2024(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Advisory Committee on freedom of movement for workers for the period from 25 September 2024 to 24 September 2026.
(2) A seat as member in the trade union representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Sihame FATTAH.
(3) Belgium has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Ms Marie HANSE is appointed member of the Advisory Committee on freedom of movement for workers in place of Ms Sihame FATTAH for the remainder of the current term of office, ending on 24 September 2026.
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Council Decision of 8 July 2025 replacing a member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for Estonia

January 13, 2026
Official Journalof the European Union ENC series
C/2025/3942 16.7.2025
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Kaire SAAREP.
(3) Estonia has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/126 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94(1), and in particular Article 4 thereof,
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Kaire SAAREP.
(3) Estonia has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1
Ms Elina SOOMETS is appointed member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in place of Ms Kaire SAAREP for the remainder of the current term of office, ending on 31 March 2027.

Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/126 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94(1), and in particular Article 4 thereof,
(1) By Decision of 28 March 2023(2), the Council appointed members and alternate members of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
(2) A seat as member in the government representatives category has fallen vacant as a result of the resignation of Ms Kaire SAAREP.
(3) Estonia has designated a candidate for the vacant seat,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Ms Elina SOOMETS is appointed member of the Management Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in place of Ms Kaire SAAREP for the remainder of the current term of office, ending on 31 March 2027.
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.