Romanian MEP Georgiana Teodorescu (ECR) has challenged the European Commission's decision to impose a total ban on exports of ovine and caprine animals from Romania to both EU and third countries, arguing the measure is disproportionate and economically devastating for the country's strategic livestock sector.
The parliamentary question, submitted on 15 June 2026, targets the latest amendment to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/638, which prohibits all movements and exports of sheep and goats from the entire Romanian territory until 31 December 2026. Teodorescu describes the ban as a "collective sanction" that ignores the possibility of regionalisation, affecting 11.87 million animals and risking irreversible loss of external markets for tens of thousands of families.
The MEP asks the Commission to provide specific epidemiological data justifying the nationwide ban, questioning why disease-free counties could not continue exports under strict supplementary guarantees such as testing, quarantining, and traceability—a mechanism previously used for other member states. She also inquires whether the Commission plans to activate direct financial compensation for disproportionately affected Romanian farmers.
The question invokes Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, which enshrines risk management through protection and surveillance zones, suggesting the Commission could have applied a more targeted approach. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will signal whether it considers the ban justified on animal health grounds or is open to regionalisation and compensation.
Stakeholders impacted include Romanian sheep and goat farmers, who face massive losses and market exclusion; EU and third-country importers reliant on Romanian livestock; the Romanian national authorities, which may seek to challenge the ban; and the European Commission, which must balance disease control with proportionality and single market principles.