The due-diligence statement and the EU Information System

Before placing an in-scope product on the EU market, an operator submits a due-diligence statement (DDS) via the EU Information System (Art. 4). Submitting the statement is a declaration that due diligence was carried out and that the risk of non-compliance is negligible.

What it produces

The Information System returns a reference number for the statement. Downstream, the first downstream actor records that reference (Art. 5(3)(a)); subsequent actors keep direct-supplier and customer records rather than re-filing.

How checking works

Submitting the statement is a declaration, not an approval. The Information System does not pre-screen it, so a DDS on a supplier with, say, an expired document is not blocked at submission.

Competent authorities check operators after the fact. Checks are risk-based, and a minimum share of operators is inspected each year, rising with the risk tier of the country of production. Separately, non-SME downstream operators and traders carry a reactive duty under Art. 5(6): they must verify that upstream due diligence was done, but only when a substantiated concern arises, not as a routine step.

So what protects you is the quality of the case file behind each statement, which authorities can request at any time, not the act of submission.

In Sylva

Sylva assembles the statement from the case file, submits it to the Information System, captures the returned reference, and keeps a timestamped audit trail plus a printable report for competent authorities.