The European Committee of the Regions:
• observes that African swine fever (ASF) is a threat and a challenge at the local, regional, national and European levels
• believes that the grant referred to in Article 5(3)(a) of Regulation 652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council should always amount to 100% in the event that a case of ASF is confirmed because ASF is a threat that causes disruption to business and the economy of the EU as a whole as well as neighbouring countries
• welcomes the work of the European Parliament and the European Commission in combating ASF undertaken within the current financial perspective, but believes that it is necessary to plan for additional resources in the next multiannual financial framework, including significant spending on scientific research that aims to develop an effective vaccine against this virus
• calls for a special, dedicated cross-border grant to be allocated in order to earmark resources to activities that aim to combat ASF as part of projects that are conducted jointly by at least two countries, of which at least one is outside the EU
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- observes that African swine fever (ASF) is a threat and a challenge at the local, regional, national and European level;
- believes that the grant referred to in Article 5(3)(a) of Regulation 652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council should always amount to 100% in the event that a case of ASF is confirmed because ASF is a threat that has a major impact on public health and disruptive effects on the economy;
- welcomes the work of the European Parliament and the European Commission in combating ASF undertaken within the current financial perspective, but believes that it is necessary to plan for additional resources in the next multiannual financial framework, including significant spending on scientific research that aims to develop an effective vaccine against this virus;
- calls for a special, dedicated cross-border grant to be allocated to combat ASF as part of projects that are conducted jointly by at least two countries;
- encourages local and regional authorities to disseminate information on the application of due diligence to prevent the spread of the disease, and to continue to cooperate on promoting biosecurity, particularly in small farms, and to take further joint measures in the event of an outbreak in border areas.