EU extends avian influenza emergency measures to Bulgaria and France

The European Commission has adopted Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2056 of 8 September 2026, extending the Union-level emergency measures against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to new outbreaks in Bulgaria and France. The act, notified under document C(2026) 6469, amends the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2447 and was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series) on 10 September 2026.

The decision, signed by Commission Member Olivér Várhelyi, updates the protection and surveillance zones that Member States must establish around confirmed outbreaks, tightening the containment framework for the poultry sector across the Union.

Legal basis and background

The measure rests on Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (the “Animal Health Law”), in particular Article 259(1), and on Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, which sets out the prevention and control rules for listed diseases such as HPAI. Under Article 21 of that Delegated Regulation, the competent authority must immediately establish a restricted zone comprising a protection zone, a surveillance zone and, where necessary, further restricted zones.

Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2447, adopted on 24 October 2023, lays down the emergency measures at Union level. Its Annex was last amended by Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1958 of 21 August 2026, following an outbreak in Sweden. The new decision now adds zones for the two newly affected Member States.

New outbreaks and zones

Since the adoption of the previous amendment, Bulgaria and France notified the Commission of HPAI outbreaks in establishments where poultry were kept:

• Bulgaria — one outbreak in the Plovdiv region (Rakovski municipality), ADIS reference BG-HPAI(P)-2026-00011.
• France — one outbreak in the Maine-et-Loire department (49), ADIS reference FR-HPAI(P)-2026-00021.

The Commission examined the disease control measures taken by both Member States and confirmed that the boundaries of their protection and surveillance zones are at a sufficient distance from the affected establishments. The new zones are now listed in the Annex:

• Protection zones — Rakovski (Bulgaria, until 27.9.2026); Brion, Cuon, Jumelles and La Landes-Chasles (France, until 23.9.2026).
• Surveillance zones — villages across the Rakovski, Maritsa, Brezovo and Kaloyanovo municipalities in Bulgaria (until 6.10.2026); a wider set of communes in Maine-et-Loire, France (until 2.10.2026).
• Sweden — the existing zones around Tanum and Strömstad remain in force, with protection measures running until 7.9.2026 and surveillance until 16.9.2026.

End of the fixed expiry date

The decision also deletes Article 5 of Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2447, which had set the act to apply only until 30 September 2026. The Commission justified the change on epidemiological grounds: HPAI viruses are now found in more species of wild birds and persist in parts of the Union throughout the year, not only during migration seasons, so outbreaks have been confirmed even in the summer months.

Because the surveillance measures established by Bulgaria and France extend beyond the previous expiry date, the Commission removed the fixed period of application to keep the emergency framework in force. The amendments take effect as soon as possible given the urgency of the epidemiological situation, and the measure was adopted in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed.

For poultry farmers and traders, the decision means the affected zones in Bulgaria and France remain subject to movement restrictions and disease-control obligations, while the removal of the expiry date signals that the Union intends to keep the emergency framework in place for as long as the epidemiological risk persists.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 10.9.2026 (official reference: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2056, CELEX 32026D2056).