Maturity Regulation (EU) 2017/625 · Border Control and Checkpoint Compliance
Your import control practices measured, your gaps turned into a costed action plan.
10 themes, a 5-level scale. And the action that moves each level to the next.
The framework’s 10 themes, already written from L1 to L5. One company, one business unit, or 300 at once.
Maturity Regulation (EU) 2017/625 · Border Control and Checkpoint Compliance
10 themes, 5-level scale.
Nordhavn Industries
53 / 100
They measure their maturity with Datamensio
An example
This could be your situation.
Take one company as an example: three sites, three spreadsheets, no shared answer.
Nobody can consolidate.
Nordhavn Industries, 2,400 people in Hamburg, Lyon and Porto. A client asks where the group stands. Each site answers in its own spreadsheet, with its own scales.
Three weeks, a single base.
One Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of 15 March 2017 assessment launched across all three sites at once, from the managers’ interview notes. The framework was already written, its 10 themes and levels L1 to L5 too.
Two costs avoided before being committed.
A score of 53 out of 100, with the gap concentrated on three themes. The AI companion spotted that two actions duplicated those of another audit. The committee report took one sentence to request.
What it saved them
- 3sites measured on the same base, instead of three questionnaires to reconcile
- 2duplicate actions caught before the spend
- 1committee report, with no manual rework
These figures are an example. They could be yours.
The standard imposes processes. Datamensio says where you stand.
01
The framework is already written
Themes, questions and levels L1 to L5, all written. You do not start from an empty spreadsheet.
02
The score lands the same day
Online, by self-assessment link or in interview. Theme by theme, comparable over time.
03
The gap becomes a costed plan
Every step up carries its action. The AI prioritises on expected effect, not on the order of the standard.
04
Progress can be demonstrated
Campaign after campaign, against your target and against your own past. That is what your board asks for.
The maturity scale
One level, the next, and the action that links the two.
It is this mechanism, one level, the level above, and the action that links the two, that turns a finding into a trajectory.
Is the consistency between the official certificate and the actual content of the consignment checked before arrival at the border control post?
- N1
No upstream check is performed. The certificate is passed on as is and discrepancies are only discovered at the control post.
- N2
A check exists for some suppliers or some goods, depending on who is handling the file.
- N3
A documented check is carried out for all consignments before notification, with a control point on the critical entries.
- N4
The check is systematic, logged in the information system, and any detected discrepancy triggers a correction with the supplier before shipment.
- N5
Recurring discrepancies are analysed by supplier and by country of origin, feeding a periodic review of contractual requirements and certificate templates.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Formalise a checklist of critical certificate entries (identification of the establishment of origin, nature and quantity of the goods, seal numbers, transport conditions), include it in the consignment file and make it a mandatory step before prior notification in TRACES NT.
« With Datamensio, we meet our objectives far more efficiently. The ERDF inspection services and our supervising ministry particularly appreciated an approach that gives them reliable data. »
Director, CCI 94CCI Île-de-France
« We believe this is the most suitable solution to scale our transformation project and measure impact according to our needs. »
Maja SucekChief Operating Officer, Interreg Danube
Rarely on its own
Frameworks combine. Put several together to cover your business, or have the AI write yours.
Take your first measurement
What this framework covers
Regulation (EU) 2017/625, known as the Official Controls Regulation, replaces the former Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 and has applied since 14 December 2019. It covers food, feed, animal health, animal welfare, plant health and organic production. Its Title II, Chapter V, governs controls at entry into the Union: designation of border control posts, prior notification of consignments via the IMSOC system, documentary checks, identity checks and physical checks, increased control frequencies, and decisions on non-compliant consignments.
In practice, the difficulty is not knowing the text but holding the chain together. A blocked consignment rarely turns on some exotic requirement: it turns on a poorly completed official certificate, a notification submitted too late, an origin establishment approval number that was never verified. Who actually checks the consistency between the certificate and the physical content of the consignment before arrival? Do your appointed importers know which control post is designated for their category of goods? What actually happens when a consignment is turned back on a Friday evening?
One confusion comes up often among cooperatives and federations: Regulation 2017/625 does not set the sanitary requirements for the product, it organises how they are checked. The substantive criteria remain in the sector-specific texts, hygiene, contaminants, maximum residue limits, animal health, plant health. 2017/625 says who checks, how often, on what documentary basis and with what consequences. An operator can be flawless on the product and failing on the control chain, and vice versa.
The official audit ends in a decision: the consignment is admitted, brought into compliance, turned back or destroyed. The maturity assessment answers a different question: what level of control do your practices for preparation, notification, documentary traceability and non-compliance management actually reach, and what precise action moves each theme up to the next level. The former passes judgement at the moment of clearance, the latter builds the trajectory that makes that clearance predictable.
In Datamensio, the framework is ready to use and remains yours. The AI adjusts the themes, questions and levels to your sector, animal, plant or organic, or builds a version from your procedures and certificate templates. The same framework can then be rolled out across several member cooperatives without manual rewriting.
Reference standard: Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of 15 March 2017
The themes assessed
Knowledge of scope and goods subject to control
Identification of relevant categories of goods, applicable sector-specific texts, lists of approved third countries, approved establishments of origin, and cases of exempt consignments.
Prior notification and use of IMSOC
Notification deadlines, quality of data entered, designation of consignment responsibles, use of the TRACES NT system, handling of rejections and corrections.
Official certificates and accompanying documents
Templates used, verification of consistency between certificate and consignment, languages, signatures and stamps, retention of originals, management of electronic certificates.
Choice and preparation of the border control post
Verification of the post designated for the relevant category, opening hours and capacity, logistical preparation, conditions for presenting the consignment.
Identity checks and physical checks
Seal integrity, matching of identification marks, temperature conditions, sampling, coordination with the competent authority.
Traceability and consignment follow-up
Link between the physical lot, the documentary file and the information system, transport under customs supervision, declared and verified final destination.
Managing non-compliances and official measures
Handling of rejections, corrective actions, destructions, appeal procedures, informing clients and insurers, documented lessons learned.
Increased checks and frequencies
Monitoring applicable control rates, anticipating emergency measures, tracking implementing acts, adapting the supply plan.
Skills and internal organisation
Roles and backup arrangements, training for import and quality teams, written procedures, availability of a contact point outside working hours.
Relations with competent authorities and continuous improvement
History of interactions, preparation for official audits, control post clearance indicators, periodic review of practices.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Can Regulation (EU) 2017/625 be certified?
No. It is an EU regulation whose application is verified by competent authorities during official controls, not by a certification body. The assessment measures the maturity of your practices and prepares you for these controls, it does not award any title.
What is the difference between this assessment and an official check at the border post?
The official check applies to a single consignment and ends in a decision to admit, bring into compliance, turn back or destroy it. The assessment applies to your organisation and places each theme on a maturity scale, with the action that moves it forward. The former passes judgement on a single moment, the latter builds consistency.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version can be completed in a single session by the quality or import manager. The full version, run collaboratively, typically takes one to two weeks, the time needed to gather input from customs, logistics and regulatory affairs.
Can the framework be adapted to our sector?
Yes. The themes, questions and levels can all be changed, and the AI can produce a version tailored to products of animal origin, plants or organic products based on your procedures. You can also add your own internal requirements or those of your clients.
How does this assessment fit with sector-specific texts?
2017/625 organises verification, the substantive requirements come from sector-specific texts such as 853/2004, 2073/2005 or 2016/2031. A cross-cutting roadmap consolidates several assessments to avoid duplicating shared actions, particularly on traceability and documentary control.
Can several member cooperatives be compared?
Yes. The same framework can be rolled out across several business units or members, with a score per theme and a benchmark between entities and against previous campaigns. Reporting takes place in a collaborative space branded to the federation.
Do respondents need veterinary or plant health expertise?
The questions concern organisation and practices, not the technical interpretation of an analysis result. A quality or import manager can answer them. Questions requiring specialist input can be assigned to the right contributor.
Where is the data hosted?
In France, with OVH, backed up with Scaleway. No transfer outside the European Union. The AI models used can be selected, including from European providers.