TRACES NT Maturity · Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 (IMSOC)
Your TRACES NT practices measured across five levels, then turned into a costed action plan.
9 themes, a 5-level scale. And the action that moves each level to the next.
The framework’s 9 themes, already written from L1 to L5. One company, one business unit, or 300 at once.
TRACES NT Maturity · Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 (IMSOC)
9 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) 2019/1715 of 30 September 2019 (IMSOC Regulation), TRACES component assessment launched across all three sites at once, from the managers’ interview notes. The framework was already written, its 9 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 next level up, and the action that connects the two, is what turns a finding into a trajectory.
Are user authorisations in TRACES NT managed and reviewed?
- N1
No list of authorised users. Access was created as needs arose, no one knows who holds which rights.
- N2
A list exists and a person in charge is identified, but it is not kept up to date and staff departures do not always trigger removal of access.
- N3
Authorisations are assigned according to defined roles, documented, and removed when staff move on. Gaps are occasional.
- N4
A periodic review of accounts and rights is carried out and recorded, with a named backup for each critical role and checks on electronic signatures used.
- N5
The review is extended to all sites, its results feed the action plan and assignment rules are adjusted after every incident or system change.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Formalise a roles and rights matrix for TRACES NT, link it to the HR joiner and leaver process, and check the list of active accounts during 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 measurementon TRACES.
What this framework covers
Regulation (EU) 2019/1715, known as the IMSOC Regulation, sets out the operating rules for the information management system on official controls provided for in Regulation (EU) 2017/625. TRACES is the trade component: issuing and validating official certificates and official attestations, CHEDs for consignments presented at border control posts, and accompanying documents for movements of animals, plants, foodstuffs, feed and animal by-products. The regulation also governs user authentication, electronic signature, access rights and data retention.
The difficulty is not the standard, it is the organisation built around the tool. Who holds the TRACES NT authorisations, and what happens when that person is absent or leaves the company? Does the data declared in the certificate come from the information system, or is it re-keyed by hand from a purchase order? Are rejections, refusals and returns of consignments analysed, or treated as isolated incidents? Many organisations discover their weak points only when a consignment is stopped at a border control post.
One confusion keeps coming back: TRACES NT is not a simple declarative portal, it is the legal support of the official certificate. The data entered binds the operator and the competent authority, is accessible to the authorities of the destination countries, and is linked to the other IMSOC components, including the rapid alert system. The scaling up of import controls and the connection with the EU single window for customs have reinforced this requirement: approximate data in TRACES becomes a gap that can be used against you elsewhere.
An official audit settles matters with a yes or no: the certificate is valid, traceability is demonstrated, the authorisation is in order. The maturity assessment asks a different question. At what level of control does the practice sit, and what precise action moves it to the next level. On a subject shared between quality, logistics, customer service and official veterinarians, this level-by-level reading allows decisions to be made without waiting for the gap to surface at the border.
The framework is ready to use in Datamensio, and adaptable. The AI adjusts the themes, questions and levels to your scope, animal, plant or by-product sectors, or builds a variant from your procedures and certificate templates. The assessment can be rolled out site by site, with comparison across business units.
Reference standard: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 of 30 September 2019 (IMSOC Regulation), TRACES component
The themes assessed
Governance and responsibilities
Appointment of a person in charge, written procedure, coordination between quality, customer service, logistics and the official veterinarian, cover in case of absence.
Authorisations and system access
User enrolment, roles and rights assigned, periodic account review, removal of access when a staff member leaves, use of electronic signature.
Quality of declared data
Source of entered data, consistency with the information system and commercial documents, commodity and establishment codes, checks before validation.
Certificates and accompanying documents
Choosing the right certificate or attestation template, CHEDs for imported consignments, intra-EU movement documents, issuance deadlines before the consignment is presented.
Interface with competent authorities
Authority validation workflow, points of contact, handling requests for additional information, follow-up on decisions taken at border control posts.
Managing refusals, rejections and non-conformities
Handling refused or returned consignments, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, links to alert notifications and follow-up of non-compliant consignments.
Traceability and record keeping
Retention of certificates and supporting documents, retention periods, ability to reconstruct a consignment file, audit trail of changes.
Skills and training
Initial training and ongoing skills maintenance for users, monitoring of changes to the system and templates, cascading instructions to sites.
Performance monitoring and improvement
Indicators on certificates issued, corrected and refused, periodic review, comparison across sites, updating procedures after lessons learned.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Is TRACES NT subject to certification?
No. Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 mandates use of the system and sets the rules for certificates and notifications, it does not create a corporate certification. The assessment measures the maturity of your practices and prepares you for official controls, it does not issue any binding document.
How is this different from a regulatory compliance audit?
An audit checks the validity of a certificate, an authorisation or a consignment file and concludes with a gap. The assessment places the practice on five levels and states the action that moves it forward. The two complement each other: the assessment prepares for the control, the control validates it.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version is completed in 20 to 30 minutes by a quality or regulatory manager. The full version runs over one to two weeks in collaborative mode, most of the time spent gathering input from logistics, customer service and sites.
Can the framework be adapted to our sector?
Yes. The themes, questions and levels can be modified, and the AI generates a variant suited to your scope, live animals, products of animal origin, plants or by-products, based on your procedures and document templates.
Can several sites or entities be compared?
Yes. The same framework is rolled out to each business unit, scores can be compared between entities and against previous campaigns. Action plans are consolidated into a cross-cutting roadmap, alongside other regulatory assessments.
How does this assessment relate to Regulation (EU) 2017/625?
Regulation 2017/625 creates the obligation for official controls and the IMSOC system, of which TRACES is a component. A solid TRACES NT assessment therefore feeds directly into the evaluation of official control and traceability practices, without duplicating questions.
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.