The terms behind
the operating process.

The definitions below are explanatory summaries. Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, the 2025 amendment and the current Annex I govern. Reviewed 4 October 2026.

Operator

The person who, in the course of a commercial activity, places relevant products on the market or exports them under the applicable definition. Establish the actual flow and amended role definitions before assigning responsibilities. Read the operating guide.

Downstream operator

A distinct role introduced by the amended regulation for specified activities involving relevant products made using relevant products all already covered by the applicable due-diligence statement or simplified declaration. Its obligations differ from the upstream operator’s. Read the operating guide.

Trader

An actor other than an operator or downstream operator who makes relevant products available on the market in a commercial activity. The amended collect-and-keep duties must be assessed for the actual role. Read the operating guide.

Relevant commodity

One of the seven commodities named by the EUDR: cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood. In MarketPass’s specialist tyre workflow, the relevant commodity is Hevea brasiliensis natural rubber. Read the operating guide.

Relevant product

A product listed in Annex I that contains, has been fed with or has been made using a relevant commodity, subject to the regulation’s wording, scope and exclusions. Not every product associated with a commodity is covered. Read the operating guide.

CN code

A code in the EU Combined Nomenclature used to classify goods. Annex I uses tariff codes and descriptions to define product scope. Correct classification and material content need to be checked together. Read the operating guide.

HS code

A code under the international Harmonized System of commodity classification. EU CN codes add detail to that classification. A broad HS heading alone may not resolve the precise EUDR scope. Read the operating guide.

Ex prefix

A signal in a tariff listing that only the described subset of the heading is covered. Read the code, description, introductory notes and exclusions together. Read the operating guide.

Due diligence

The applicable process of information collection, risk assessment and risk mitigation established by the regulation. It is the work behind a conclusion, not simply a document-upload step. Read the operating guide.

Due-diligence statement (DDS)

A statement submitted through the EU Information System by the operator or its authorised representative under the applicable regime. Its reference number is not certification of the underlying evidence. Read the operating guide.

Simplified declaration

A separate mechanism under the amended regulation for eligible micro or small primary operators. It should not be treated as a general alternative available to every small importer. Read the operating guide.

Authorised representative

An EU-established person given a written mandate under the applicable Article 6 arrangements to submit on an operator’s behalf. The operator retains responsibility. A service provider is not automatically an authorised representative. Read the operating guide.

Geolocation

The geographical location of a plot described using latitude and longitude, with the required precision and geometry. In a rubber-origin workflow it identifies production land, not the tyre factory. Read the operating guide.

Production plot

The plot of land on which the relevant commodity was produced. Its identification must fit the regulation’s definition and support the relevant product-flow assessment. Read the operating guide.

Polygon

A geometry describing a plot boundary using coordinate points. The standard legal definition requires polygons for non-cattle plots larger than four hectares. Technical validity does not establish factual origin. Read the operating guide.

GeoJSON

A structured format for geographical data. The Information System has specific technical requirements; keep the original supplied data and record any conversions or corrections. Read the operating guide.

Supplier

An organisation or person supplying goods or information in the relevant chain. The immediate commercial supplier may not hold production-origin information, so upstream evidence ownership needs to be established. Read the operating guide.

Manufacturer

The organisation producing the finished or intermediate product. In a tyre workflow, it may hold the critical link between natural-rubber inputs and manufacturing output. Its facility location is distinct from rubber production origin. Read the operating guide.

Traceability

The ability to follow and substantiate relationships through the relevant product and commodity flow. A useful evidence map connects shipment, manufacturing records, material inputs and origin information. Read the operating guide.

Production date or period

The date or time range associated with production of the relevant commodity as required by the applicable information provisions. Do not substitute a file-receipt date or shipping date without justification. Read the operating guide.

Deforestation-free

A legal condition concerning production on land not subject to deforestation after 31 December 2020, with an additional forest-degradation condition for wood. The precise statutory definition governs. Read the operating guide.

Legality evidence

Information supporting production in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production. The required subjects depend on the statutory definition and facts; a generic company registration is not necessarily sufficient. Read the operating guide.

Risk assessment

The evaluation of relevant information and criteria to establish whether there is a risk of non-compliance. It should have a recorded rationale tied to the assessed goods. Read the operating guide.

Negligible risk

The regulatory conclusion reached on the basis of a sufficiently supported assessment that there is no cause for concern about non-compliance, as defined by the EUDR. It is not interchangeable with a country’s benchmark category. Read the operating guide.

Risk mitigation

Measures addressing identified risk under the applicable framework, such as obtaining further evidence or conducting appropriate checks. Completing an action matters only if it addresses the concern. Read the operating guide.

Country benchmarking

The Commission’s classification of countries or parts of countries by risk. It informs the applicable process but does not independently establish the adequacy of evidence for a particular product. Read the operating guide.

Evidence ledger

An operational register of evidence sources, versions, coverage, relationships, review status and decisions. This is a practical management method, not a prescribed EUDR software product. Read the operating guide.

Information System

The European Commission system used for the applicable EUDR statements, declarations and related functions. System acceptance and legal sufficiency of evidence are different questions. Read the operating guide.