Brussels, 17/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Commission approved a financial package to fight transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) and other animal diseases in the EU, in 2002. On one hand, the Community budget will contribute EUR 114 million to the funding of BSE and scrapie monitoring (this sum will be used for the purchase of test kits). On the other hand, the Commission has adopted funding provisions for the 2002 programmes eradicating animal diseases and preventing zoonoses. The EU will contribute EUR 40.45 from its resources in the veterinary field for the eradication and monitoring of the following animal diseases: classical and African swine fever; Aujeszky's disease; bluetongue;bovine, caprine and ovine brucellosis; bovine tuberculosis; contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia; enzootic bovine leucosis; heartwater, babesiosis and anaplasmosis transmitted by vector insects in the French overseas departments; rabies; swine vesicular disease; scrapie; and salmonella in poultry. These diseases have an impact on human as well as animal health. Causing severe losses in the livestock sector, they are an obstacle to intra-Community and international trade.