1.   Operators shall apply the due diligence system to each specific type of timber or timber product supplied by a particular supplier within a period not exceeding 12 months, provided that the tree species, the country or countries of harvest or, where applicable, the sub-national region(s) and concession(s) of harvest remain unchanged.

2.   The first paragraph is without prejudice to operator’s obligation to maintain measures and procedures providing access to the information referred to in Article 6(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 concerning each consignment of timber and timber products placed on the market by the operator.

1.   The information on operator’s supply of timber or timber products referred to in Article (6)(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 shall be provided in accordance with paragraphs 2, 3 and 4.

2.   The full scientific name of the tree species referred to in the first indent of Article 6(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 shall be provided where ambiguity in the use of the common name exists.

3.   Information on the sub-national region referred to in the second indent of Article 6(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 shall be provided where the risk of illegal harvesting between sub-national regions varies.

4.   Information on the concession of harvest referred to in the second indent of Article 6(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 shall be provided where the risk of illegal harvesting between concessions of harvest in a country or sub-national region varies.

For the purposes of the first subparagraph, any arrangement conferring the right to harvest timber in a defined area shall be considered a concession of harvest.

1.   Information concerning the operator’s supply as provided for in Article 6(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 and application of risk mitigation procedures shall be documented through adequate records, which shall be stored for five years and made available for checks by the competent authority.

2.   In applying their due diligence system operators shall be able to demonstrate how the information gathered was checked against the risk criteria provided for in Article 6(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010, how a decision on risk mitigation measures was taken and how the operator determined the degree of risk.

1.   The competent authorities shall ensure that the checks at regular intervals referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 are carried out at least once every two years.

2.   Checks referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 shall be carried out in particular in any of the following cases:

(a)	where a competent authority has, while carrying out checks on operators, detected shortcomings in the effectiveness or implementation by operators of the due diligence system established by a monitoring organisation;

(b)

where the Commission has informed the competent authorities that a monitoring organisation has undergone subsequent changes as provided for in Article 9(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 363/2012 of 23 February 2012 on the procedural rules for the recognition and withdrawal of recognition of monitoring organisations as provided for in Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market (4).

3.   Checks shall be carried out without prior warning, except where prior notification of the monitoring organisation is necessary in order to ensure the effectiveness of the checks.

4.   The competent authorities shall carry out checks in accordance with documented procedures.

5.   Competent authorities shall carry out checks to ensure compliance with Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 that shall include, in particular and as appropriate, the following activities:

(a)	spot checks, including field audits;

(b)	examination of documentation and records of monitoring organisations;

(c)	interviews with the management and staff of the monitoring organisation;

(d)	interviews with operators and traders or any other relevant person;

(e)	examination of documentation and records of operators;

(f)	examination of samples of the supply of operators using the due diligence system of the monitoring organisation concerned.

1.   The competent authorities shall draw up reports on individual checks that they have carried out, which shall include a description of the process and techniques applied and their findings and conclusions.

2.   The competent authorities shall provide a monitoring organisation that has been subject to a check with the findings and conclusions of the draft report. The monitoring organisation may provide comments to the competent authorities within the time limit specified by the competent authorities.

3.   The competent authorities shall draw up reports referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 on the basis of the reports on individual checks.