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EU Due Diligence Statement (DDS) — research notes

Source: docs/eudr-dds-research.md

Research collected for the Round 10a image redesign, used as ground-truth reference for the /step-submit.jpg document image.

Source of the requirement

Format — what the DDS actually is

The DDS is not a paper document in real life. It is a structured record submitted through TRACES NT (the EU's existing trade-control platform, the same system used for SPS certificates). Operators:

  1. Register their organisation in TRACES NT.
  2. Create a DDS record via the web form or via system-to-system API in a structured file format (TRACES accepts JSON / XML payloads).
  3. TRACES issues a DDS reference number and a verification number; both must then be quoted on every shipment placed on the EU market so customs can cross-check.

For the marketing image we render it as a clean printed preview of a filled DDS form — the most universally legible way to communicate "official compliance document" without mimicking the TRACES UI (which we don't own and which looks like a generic government portal).

Required fields (Annex II)

Annex II lists the minimum information that every DDS must contain. The field labels below are faithful to the regulation text; the example values are illustrative only.

  1. Operator / trader information

    • Name
    • Address
    • EORI number (Economic Operators Registration and Identification)

  2. Commodity / product details

    • Harmonised System (HS) code or Combined Nomenclature (CN) code
    • Free-text description of the product
    • Trade name; scientific name where applicable (mandatory for wood)
    • Quantity — net mass in kilograms, plus supplementary unit (volume or number of items) where applicable

  3. Country of production

    • Country, and where relevant the specific sub-national region

  4. Geolocation of plots of land

    • Latitude / longitude of every plot where the commodity was produced
    • Point coordinates if the plot is < 4 hectares
    • Polygon coordinates if the plot is ≥ 4 hectares
    • Time range of production / harvest (to confirm the 31 December 2020 cut-off date was respected)

  5. Reference numbers of any DDS previously submitted for the same commodity (upstream supplier DDSs), when the operator is relying on due diligence already carried out elsewhere in the chain.

  6. Declaration of compliance / due-diligence statement

    • An explicit statement, signed by the operator, that due diligence under the Regulation has been exercised and that no risk or only a negligible risk was found that the commodity is non-compliant.

  7. Risk-assessment summary (typically attached or referenced)

    • Short narrative of how deforestation risk was verified and mitigated.

  8. System-assigned identifiers (added by TRACES on submission)

    • DDS reference number
    • Verification number

Illustrative values we used in the image prompt

  • Operator: Example Coffee Importer GmbH
  • EORI: DE123456789000
  • Product: Roasted coffee, Arabica — HS code 0901.21
  • Quantity: 18,000 kg net
  • Country of production: Viet Nam
  • Plot coordinates: 11.56 N, 107.39 E (point) for a < 4 ha plot
  • Production period: October 2025 – January 2026
  • Reference: DDS-2026-000142
  • Declaration: "The operator hereby confirms that due diligence has been exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 and that the risk of non-compliance has been assessed as negligible."

Sources consulted