Maturity Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 · Import conditions for products of animal origin
Your official certificates and import flows, measured against Regulation 2020/2235 and turned into an 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) 2020/2235 · Import conditions for products of animal origin
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 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 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 (one level, the level above, and the action linking the two) is what turns a finding into a trajectory.
How do you ensure that the certificate template used is the one in force for the product and the dispatch date?
- N1
No internal check. The template is whatever the supplier or its competent authority sends, with no version control.
- N2
One person knows the applicable templates and checks them, with no written procedure or documented reference in the import file.
- N3
A product / template mapping is documented and circulated, used systematically before dispatch. Updates are incorporated with a delay.
- N4
The mapping is kept up to date with every amendment to the annexes, communicated to third country suppliers, and the check is logged file by file.
- N5
Monitoring, updating and dissemination are steered by indicators, with periodic review of gaps found at border control posts and documented corrective action.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Formalise a product / certificate template mapping table, build it into the pre-dispatch checklist and have it signed off on every file, then verify its use at the monthly quality review.
« 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
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 establishes the harmonised templates for animal health certificates, official certificates, official animal health/certificates and private attestations that accompany consignments of products of animal origin, germinal products and composite products entering the Union. It sets out the mandatory particulars, the rules for issuing and replacing documents, signature requirements, the use of IMSOC and TRACES NT, and the cases where a private attestation drawn up by the importing operator is sufficient. It applies within the framework set by Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and Regulation (EU) 2017/625.
In practice, the difficulty lies not in the text itself but in the chain that produces the document. Is the template used the one in force on the consignment’s departure date, or is an outdated version still circulating at the third country supplier’s premises? Who checks, before dispatch, that the establishment of origin is on the authorised list and that the third country is approved for that product category? Are private attestations for composite products built on traceable evidence, or pulled together on demand when the border control post asks for them?
The regulation has been amended several times since it came into application, particularly regarding the templates applicable to composite products and the transitional periods granted for certificates already signed. This is the most common source of confusion: a company considers its process stable while the annexes have moved on. Another confusion worth clearing up is the distinction between the official certificate, issued by the competent authority of the third country, and the private attestation, drawn up under the responsibility of the operator. The two are not obtained the same way and do not involve the same parties.
A compliance audit settles the matter: the file is complete or it is not, the consignment is accepted or rejected. The maturity assessment asks a different question: what level of control does your import certification set-up actually sit at, and what specific action moves it to the next level. A team that handles its files correctly by relying on one person’s memory does not have the same maturity as a team whose monitoring of annexes, supplier qualification and pre-dispatch checks are formalised and tracked.
In Datamensio, the framework is ready to use and adaptable. The AI adjusts the themes, questions and levels to your scope, dairy products, meat, fishery products, composite products, or builds a variant based on your procedures and supplier specifications.
Reference standard: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2235
The themes assessed
Governance of the import process
Allocation of responsibilities between quality, purchasing and logistics, written procedure, dedicated resources, alignment with the food safety management system.
Eligibility of third countries and establishments
Verification of authorised third country lists by product category, checks on approval of establishments of origin, review frequency, handling of list removals.
Selection and management of certificate templates
Identifying the applicable template by product, tracking amendments to the annexes, withdrawing outdated versions, managing transitional periods.
Official and official animal health certificates
Completeness of mandatory particulars, consistency with the consignment, signature and validity of the competent authority, rules for replacement and duplicates.
Private attestations for composite products
Determining when they apply, supporting evidence used, the importing operator’s responsibility, retention and availability on request.
Prior notification and use of IMSOC
Preparing the CHED in TRACES NT, notification deadlines, quality of the data entered, management of electronic certificates and signatures.
Presentation at border control posts
Preparing the file before arrival, matching documents, identity and seal checks, handling intensified checks, managing non-conformities and rejections.
Qualification and monitoring of third country suppliers
Documentary specifications, liaison with the local competent authority, supplier evaluation on certificate quality, improvement plans.
Document archiving and traceability
Retention period and arrangements, the link between certificate, batch and destination, ability to reconstruct a file during an official check or a withdrawal.
Regulatory monitoring and continuous improvement
Sources tracked, lag between publication and internal update, lessons learned from blocked consignments, indicators and periodic review of the set-up.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Is Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 subject to certification?
No. It is a directly applicable implementing regulation, compliance with which is checked by competent authorities during official controls, particularly at border control posts. The assessment measures your level of control and prepares for these checks; it does not issue any official document.
What is the difference between this assessment and a compliance audit?
An audit checks whether requirements are met and concludes with a gap or a pass. The assessment places your practices on five levels and indicates the action that moves you to the next one. The two are complementary: the assessment prepares, the audit confirms.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version can be completed in a single working session. The full version, run collaboratively with quality, purchasing and logistics, typically takes one to two weeks, most of the time being spent gathering input from the different departments.
Can the framework be adapted to our product scope?
Yes. Themes, questions and levels can all be modified, and the AI can generate a variant focused on fishery products, dairy products or composite products based on your procedures. You retain full control of the framework.
How does this assessment relate to Regulation 2017/625 on official controls?
Regulation 2020/2235 provides the document templates whose checking is organised by Regulation 2017/625. An assessment covering both frameworks overlaps considerably: the cross-cutting roadmap consolidates shared actions rather than duplicating them.
Can several sites or subsidiaries be compared?
Yes. Assessments are run at scale, with benchmarking between business units and against previous rounds. The AI groups gaps into a prioritised roadmap at group level.
Is the action plan costed?
Each gap can be matched against a service from the catalogue, with its cost, timeframe and expected impact on the score. You make decisions on comparable elements rather than intentions.
Where is the data hosted?
In France, with OVH, backed up at Scaleway. No transfer outside the European Union. The AI models used can be selected, including from European providers.