A report from the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, published on 6 July 2026, evaluates Regulation (EU) 2016/429 on transmissible animal diseases (Animal Health Law, AHL) and finds that while the law has largely achieved its main objectives, implementation across Member States remains uneven and still in a transition phase. The evaluation, required under Article 282 of the AHL, covers the period until 31 December 2023, with the accompanying Staff Working Document including experience until early 2026.
The AHL, which entered into force on 21 April 2016 and applies from 21 April 2021, replaced 39 separate legal acts with a single, risk-based framework and introduced five disease categories (A to E) for proportional responses. The report notes that by June 2023, only 10 Member States reported adopting or working on penalty rules for AHL infringements, and most Member States have not yet completed national legislative alignment. Preventive vaccination, enabled under the AHL, has been used in several Member States, including for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in France since 2024, bluetongue virus in several Member States, lumpy skin disease in Italy, France and Spain (2025-2026), and foot and mouth disease in Slovakia, Hungary (2025) and Cyprus (2026).
small-scale operators and hobby keepers reported disproportionate administrative burdens, though some Member States applied AHL flexibilities to exempt very small keepers from certain duties. The AHL does not regulate financial support, and stakeholders noted the lack of adequate compensation mechanisms as a barrier to effective disease control. The Commission, Member States, and operators are the key actors in implementation.
The report concludes that the AHL has created a strong foundation for harmonised EU animal health policy, but full benefits depend on completing national alignment, simplifying rules for smaller operators, and addressing uneven implementation across Member States. The Council and European Parliament will now consider the evaluation as part of ongoing policy discussions.