Border Control Post Maturity · Regulation (EU) 2017/625
Your border control posts assessed requirement by requirement, with every gap converted 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.
Border Control Post Maturity · Regulation (EU) 2017/625
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, Articles 47 to 66, and Delegated Regulations (EU) 2019/1014 and 2019/2124 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.
This mechanism, a level, the level above, and the action linking the two, is what turns an audit finding into a trajectory.
Is temperature monitoring in the premises and equipment used to store consignments effective and usable?
- N1
No temperature records are kept. Checking relies on an occasional visual reading of the displays.
- N2
Readings exist on paper or in a local file. Alert thresholds are not defined and breaches leave no trace.
- N3
Recording is continuous, thresholds are defined by category of goods, and breaches are logged and handled through a deviation record.
- N4
Alarms are sent to on-call staff, corrective actions are traced, and the link to the affected consignment is always established.
- N5
Temperature data is analysed over time, feeds into the maintenance and calibration plan, and threshold revisions are documented.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Set out in writing the acceptable temperature thresholds and ranges for each designated category of goods, switch on continuous recording on every piece of equipment, and log every breach in a deviation record reviewed at the post’s monthly meeting.
« 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 organises official controls across the entire agri-food chain. Articles 47 to 66 deal specifically with the entry into the Union of animals and goods: categories of goods subject to official control at the border control post, prior notification via the CHED, documentary, identity and physical checks, sampling and analysis, decisions on consignments. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/1014 sets out minimum infrastructure and equipment requirements. Regulation (EU) 2019/2124 governs transit, transhipment and onward carriage.
Managing this across several sites is rarely a matter of reading the text. The real questions lie elsewhere. Do the physical inspection premises actually cope with every category the post is designated for, including at peak activity? Are the cold store temperature records usable in a Commission audit, or merely archived? Have all staff authorised to carry out identity checks on products of animal origin completed the required training, and is that authorisation traceable? What happens when a consignment must be destroyed on a Friday evening?
One confusion comes up repeatedly: Regulation 2017/625 did not simply replace Directive 97/78/EC, it brought together under a single framework sectors that used to be handled separately, live animals, products of animal origin, plants, feed, food of non-animal origin, materials in contact with food. A post designated for one category is not automatically designated for another. DG SANTE audits focus precisely on this consistency between the scope of designation, the resources actually available and the flows actually handled.
A compliance audit concludes with a finding of gap or compliance against a given requirement. The maturity assessment answers a different question: what level of control does the practice actually reach, and what specific action moves it up a level. A post can be compliant on paper and fragile in practice, because the practice depends on one person, a local file or an unwritten habit. The maturity scale makes that fragility visible and turns it into a dated action plan.
In Datamensio, the framework is ready to use and you keep full control of it. The AI adjusts themes, questions and levels to your designated categories, or builds a tailored version from your existing procedures and audit reports. Posts within the same network can then be compared against each other and against their own history.
Reference standard: Regulation (EU) 2017/625, Articles 47 to 66, and Delegated Regulations (EU) 2019/1014 and 2019/2124
The themes assessed
Scope and conditions of designation
Categories of goods covered, consistency between designation and the flows actually handled, updating of the published list, conditions for suspension or withdrawal.
Infrastructure and premises
Unloading areas, documentary check premises, physical inspection premises separated by category, sanitary facilities, separation of clean and dirty flows, signage.
Equipment and cold chain
Cold stores and controlled temperatures, temperature recording and monitoring, sampling equipment, scales, lighting, maintenance and calibration plans.
Staffing and authorisations
Veterinary and technical staffing levels, initial and ongoing training, authorisations by category of goods, management of absences and on-call cover.
Prior notification and documentary flow
Use of TRACES NT, completeness and timeliness of the CHED, verification of official certificates and attestations, management of original documents and copies.
Documentary, identity and physical checks
Application of the required frequencies, procedures by category, verification of seals and consignment identity, recording of findings.
Sampling, analysis and laboratories
Sampling plans, storage and transport conditions, use of designated official laboratories, turnaround times, management of consignments awaiting results.
Non-compliant consignments and official measures
Refusal of entry, redirection, destruction, quarantine, special treatment, traceability of decisions and notification to other authorities.
Transit, transhipment and onward carriage
Application of Regulation (EU) 2019/2124, supervision of controlled warehouses, timeframes, checks on consignments bound for third countries.
Procedures, review and improvement
Documentation of procedures, internal audits, follow-up of external audit observations, activity indicators, lessons learned and updating of practices.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Does this assessment count as designation or approval of the border control post?
No. Designation is a matter for the competent authority of the Member State, under the conditions set out in Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and its delegated acts. The assessment measures the maturity of practices and prepares for the official audit, it grants nothing.
How does this differ from a standard compliance audit?
An audit checks whether a requirement is met and concludes with a finding of gap or compliance. The assessment places the practice on a progressive scale and identifies the action that moves it up a level. The two complement each other: the assessment prepares, the audit validates.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version can be completed in a single working session. The full version, run collaboratively with the post manager, the official veterinarian and technical staff, takes one to two weeks, with most of the time spent gathering evidence.
Can the framework be adapted to our designated categories?
Yes. The themes, questions and levels can all be modified. The AI can restrict the framework to only the categories for which the post is designated, or build a tailored version from your procedures and audit reports.
Can several posts be compared with each other?
Yes. The same framework applied to several sites produces comparable scores by theme, and the benchmark positions each post against the others and against its own history. A cross-site roadmap consolidates actions common to several posts.
How does this assessment fit with the other requirements of Regulation 2017/625?
Official controls at borders rest on the same foundations as official controls in general: staff competence, documented procedures, traceability of decisions. An assessment on official controls and an assessment on border control posts can be brought together into a single roadmap, without duplicating actions.
Do you need veterinary expertise to answer?
The questions cover organisation, resources and traceability, not the clinical interpretation of a check. Certain technical questions can be assigned to the official veterinarian or the equipment manager through the collaborative mode.
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.