Capacity Building of Veterinary and Plant Services
in the Western Balkans - Lot 1 - Animal Health

EU provides financial assistance to Western Balkan (WB) countries to support their EU integration process, channelled through the instrumental for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). This project will support the beneficiary countries to improve the capacities of the national systems and harmonize the EU legislation on national level. Results of this project shall ensure that the beneficiary countries become part of the EU internal market with as few barriers as possible in the near future. The project started in July 2022 and will last until July 2025.

The project purpose is to ensure that the technical capacity of the beneficiary competent authorities is upgraded to ensure favourable animal health status for the whole region over long term and enable free access of products of animal origin to the EU markets. Recently developed reports of the audit missions carries out by DG SANTE provides conclusions that the WB countries need to improve their national animal health systems to ensure efficient control against listed diseases. The regional technical assistance will contribute to the enhancement of the capacity of WB Competent authorities, by increased knowledge and experience in combating animal diseases. Achieving disease free status of specific diseases will contribute to maintenance of favourable disease status in EU and will increase opportunities to place their products and livestock goods to the EU market. The purpose of this regional action is to support BCs in developing clear guidance and tools for efficient animal health control. Candidate countries of the WB region are expected to ensure their ability to establish relevant systems and implement effectively the obligations of EU membership by demonstrating functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with the EU competition.

To improve animal health in the Western Balkans by enhancing the capacity of the Veterinary Services concurrently with establishing
cooperation between Animal and Plant Health Services – Lot 1: Animal Health

To develop an Animal Health Control system aligned with EU standards that comply with the accession requirements – Lot 1: Animal Health

To become approved for export of certain commodities to the EU and become recognized with free status from listed animal diseases
by the World Organisation for Animal Health (hereafter “OIE”) - Lot 1: Animal Health

1. Support to develop an AH control system aligned with EU standards that would comply with the accession requirements
2. Basic structures of the organisation of the competent authorities
3. ID/Traceability
4. Disease surveillance
5. Animal Health emergency preparedness
6. Support for the vaccination campaign
7. Reinforcement of the ABP system
8. Information management systems
9. Improvement of the epidemiological work performed by the laboratories as regards important animal diseases in the whole of the Western Balkans
10. Maintain and further develop cross border cooperation of veterinary services of neighbouring Western Balkan and EU countries, in the animal disease control
11. Support for becoming authorised to export animals and animal products to the EU and become recognized with disease free status by OIE for certain animal diseases

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