Results of the 26th Conference of the OIE Regional Commission for Europe

The 26th Conference of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Regional Commission for Europe, attended by 53 Member Countries from the Region, was held in Bern (Switzerland) from 22 to 26 September 2014.

The participants discussed several key issues involving the Member Countries of the region, with special emphasis on the following matters:

• the control of food and mouth disease in Eastern Europe, as well as in the Maghreb countries, in the framework of the Global Strategy promoted jointly by the OIE and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO);
• the evolution and prevention of African Swine Fever, which has been affecting several countries of the region since early 2014;
• the new international procedure to facilitate and harmonise the international movement of competition horses, based on the concept of a "high-health, high-performance" sub-population of horses;
• the enhanced participation of all Member Countries of the region in OIE standard-setting activities concerning animal diseases and animal welfare;
• the OIE's "one health" approach;
• the preparation of the OIE's 6th Strategic Plan (2016-2020), and its perspectives for the European region.

The new OIE Regional Platform on animal welfare for Europe was then presented to the Assembly. Focusing notably on the management of stray dog populations and on conditions for transport and slaughter of farm animals, it aims at harmonising the approaches of the countries of the region to animal welfare and the implementation of OIE standards.