Brussels, 02/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The decision aimed at reinforcing the epidemic surveillance of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the Union through the introduction, on 1 January 2001, of compulsory testing and rapid post-mortem tests, to be carried out on a targeted sample of animals in all Member States, was formally adopted by the European Commission. This formal procedure endorses the go-ahead that the Member State representatives within the Standing Veterinary Committee had recently given to the proposed amendment to Decision 98/272/EC of 24 April 1998 relating to the epidemiological surveillance of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (see EUROPE of 6 April, p.7 and 30 March, p.12). According to this decision, some 65,000 tests will be carried out among over 10% of the cattle population most at risk in the context of monitoring programmes to be implemented by Member States. The number of these tests could later be increased.