BRUSSELS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced a slew of measures to help the 25-nation bloc in a fight against avian influenza.

    The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health Tuesday voted in favor of a commission proposal to prolong, until 31 December 2006, the ban on imports of live captive birds from third countries.

    The import ban on captive birds was first agreed by the Standing Committee in October 2005, as a protective measure in response to the growing threat of the highly pathogenic avian influenza.

    Croatia is added to the list of countries for which the restrictions for pet birds do not apply. Already listed were Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Iceland, Greenland, Faeroe Islands and San Marino.

    The standing committee also agreed to the extension of the Dutch preventive vaccination program, which was approved in February and reached its authorized deadline last week.

    Meanwhile, the import bans on poultry products from China, Malaysia and Thailand will remain in place until 31 December 2007.

    "These restrictions are still deemed necessary due to the fact that the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus is still present in South East Asia," said the commission in a statement.

    EU safeguard measures against avian influenza taken in relation to Turkish exports will also be prolonged until 31 December 2006. These measures can be reviewed in the meantime depending on the evolution of the disease in the world.

    The EU ban on untreated feathers from all third countries will also be extended until 31 December 2006. Enditem