Council Decision (EU) 2026/1911 of 13 July 2026 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Joint Veterinary Committee set up by the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products with regard to Decision No 1/2026 concerning amendments to Appendices 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement
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Address https://gelex.eu/eli/EU/decision/2026/1911@2026-07-13/en
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207(4) in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:
(1) The Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products (the Agreement) was concluded by the Union by means of Decision 2002/309/EC, Euratom of the Council and of the Commission and entered into force on 1 June 2002.
(2) Under Article 19(1) of Annex 11 to the Agreement, the Joint Veterinary Committee set up by the Agreement (the Joint Veterinary Committee) is to consider any matter arising in connection with that Annex and its implementation, and is also responsible for all the tasks provided for in that Annex. Article 19(3) of Annex 11 authorises the Joint Veterinary Committee to amend the appendices to that Annex, in particular with a view to adapting and updating them.
(3) At its next meeting, the Joint Veterinary Committee is to adopt a decision amending Appendices 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement.
(4) The decision of the Joint Veterinary Committee amending Appendices 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement will, if adopted, produce legal effects for the Union.
(5) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council amends and repeals several texts of relevance to Annex 11 to the Agreement. The animal health measures provided for in Swiss legislation have been assessed and recognised as equivalent to Union legislation. The assessment of this equivalence was carried out taking into account all legal acts based on Union legislation on animal health. All references to animal health measures in Appendices 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement should therefore be amended.
(6) Given the recognised equivalence of animal health measures, the recognition of disease-free status for certain diseases should be simplified in order to accelerate it and thus allow the management of cross-border diseases to be improved.
(7) In view of the successive developments concerning specified risk material and the use of animal protein in the feed of non-ruminant farmed animals, other than fur animals, the provisions for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies referred to in Appendices 1 and 6 of Annex 11 to the Agreement should be updated and simplified.
(8) Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council amends and repeals several texts of importance for Annex 11 to the Agreement, in particular for the application of Regulation (EU) 2016/429. Furthermore, since 1 January 2009, Switzerland has reproduced in its national legislation the Union requirements for official controls carried out in order to ensure compliance with animal health rules, as well as with all the provisions adopted for their implementation in the field of the control of imports from third countries into the European Union. All references to official controls carried out in order to ensure compliance with animal health rules and to controls on imports from third countries, set out in Appendices 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement, should therefore be amended.
(9) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 brought together, streamlined and replaced a number of previous acts laying down separate provisions on the various IT platforms which are today components of the information management system for official controls (IMSOC). In order to facilitate administrative cooperation between the parties and to guarantee smooth exchanges of information on official controls between the European Commission, the competent authorities of the Member States and the Swiss competent authorities, Switzerland should be fully integrated into the IMSOC system. Switzerland should designate a contact point for that purpose. All references to the information management system for official controls in Appendices 1, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement should therefore be amended.
(10) The prudent use of antimicrobials is a cornerstone in addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Switzerland and the EU are actively combating AMR through action plans based on the One Health approach. Switzerland will apply the same provisions as those set out in Article 107 (with the exception of paragraph 6), in conjunction with Article 37(5) of Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as regards the rules on the use of antimicrobial medicinal products in productive animals, the prohibition of use in productive animals of designated antimicrobials or of groups of antimicrobials reserved for the treatment of certain infections in humans, and for controls of imports of animals and products of animal origin originating in third countries. Trade in animals and products of animal origin between Switzerland and the European Union may therefore be conducted without an accompanying official certificate to demonstrate compliance with the restrictions applicable to the use of antimicrobial medicinal products until 1 July 2028. These provisions should be added in Appendices 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement.
(11) As Switzerland has planned a more substantial update to its legislation on medicinal products in the coming months, the parties intend to review those arrangements before their expiry date of 1 July 2028.
(12) It is therefore appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf within the Joint Veterinary Committee with regard to Decision No 1/2026 concerning amendments to Appendices 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The position to be taken on behalf of the European Union at the next meeting of the Joint Veterinary Committee set up by Article 19(1) of Annex 11 to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products regarding the amendments to Appendices 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 of Annex 11 to the Agreement is based on the draft decision of the Joint Veterinary Committee annexed to this Decision.
Article 2
Minor changes to the position set out in Article 1 may be agreed upon without a further decision of the Council.
Article 3
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.
Done at Brussels, 13 July 2026. For the Council The President M. Heydon