{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2019-2191/annex/division-8/division-8.3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2019-2191/annex/division-8/division-8.3.json",
  "legislation": "eudn/2019/2191",
  "legislation_title": "Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/2191 of 19 December 2019 in support of a global reporting mechanism on illicit conventional arms and their ammunition to reduce the risk of their diversion and illicit transfer (‘iTrace IV’)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2019-2191",
  "path": "annex/division/8/division/8.3",
  "kind": "division",
  "number": "8.3",
  "heading": "The trace process",
  "text": "Member States respond to trace requests issued by CAR within the framework of the iTrace Project entirely at their own discretion, in accordance with their national legislation on export controls and data confidentiality.\nCAR initially sends trace requests electronically to a government's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, although it encourages national governments, for administrative reasons, to assign a point of contact in capital for future communications with the iTrace Action.\nThe trace process follows CAR's internal standard operating procedure 02.02 and comprises the following steps:\n(a) upon data capture, field investigation teams that have a requirement to trace conventional arms and their ammunition, mark them for tracing in the iTrace Global Weapon Reporting System;\n(b) CAR's Tracing Unit reviews all other data gathered on-site and, in conjunction with CAR's Analytics Unit, launches any additional trace requests that it deems relevant;\n(c) for items selected for tracing, the system automatically: i) assigns a trace request number to each item; ii) compiles trace requests for one or more items, which originate from a single country, into a single trace communication; and iii) assigns a correspondence number to each trace communication;\n(d) the sending of a trace request initiates a 28-day waiting period, taking into account national procedures, for instance in Member States. During the waiting period, the item may not be published or referenced in any of CAR's outputs;\n(e) if, at the end of the 28-day period, the Tracing Unit has not received a trace response, it may issue a reminder (by email or telephone call, with notes of all communications kept). The reminder does not initiate another 28-day period;\n(f) when the Tracing Unit receives a response to a trace request, it notifies all relevant staff. Relevant staff discuss the response with the Tracing Unit and decide a course of action (i.e. did the responding party answer CAR's questions? Does CAR need to follow up or to ask for clarification? Can CAR issue a right of reply?);\n(g) once all clarifications have been received, the Tracing Unit compiles a right of reply notification. This is a concise summary of the information provided in response to CAR's request and includes caveats that respond to missing or inconclusive information. The text is designed to be replicated verbatim in iTrace and in other CAR outputs and must be the fullest account of the information provided by the respondent to the trace request. The Tracing Unit forwards the draft text to the team responsible for requesting the trace for review. On acceptance of the text, the team notifies the Tracing Unit in writing and the Tracing Unit sends the right of reply;\n(h) sending a right of reply initiates a further 28-day waiting period, during which CAR invites the responding party to suggest additions or amendments to the right of reply text;\n(i) if the responding party suggests amendments to the right of reply text, CAR amends the text and reissues the right of reply. Each time the Tracing Unit reissues a right of the reply, another 28-day waiting period commences. This process may be repeated until CAR deems that constructive exchange has concluded. CAR is not bound to accept right of reply amendments ad infinitum;\n(j) the right of reply process concludes either when the government concerned notifies CAR that the text is acceptable, or when CAR deems that further modifications suggested by the government concerned are invalid or superfluous. If the government communicates its disagreement with CAR, and CAR deems that the points raised are invalid or superfluous, CAR must reference the objections in the right of reply text;\n(k) in cases where the right of reply process is ongoing and publication is imminent, two weeks prior to 'lock text' CAR communicates to the responding party that further edits will not be introduced into the relevant publication after the lock text date;\n(l) when the Tracing Unit has incorporated all amendments and additions into the right of reply text, it forwards the draft text to the team that was responsible for requesting the trace for review. On acceptance of the text, the CAR team notifies the Tracing Unit in writing. Following approval, the right of reply text is 'locked' and no further changes can be made to the right of reply text. Henceforth, this text must be replicated verbatim in any public or non-public outputs that refer to the case. It is, therefore, imperative that the Tracing Unit and relevant teams agree on a verbatim text in its entirety before issuing rights of reply; and\n(m) if a government, in its response to CAR's trace requests, identifies the next point in the supply chain, CAR issues a new trace request to that party, and the tracing process restarts from point (a).",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2019/2191/annex/division/8/division/8.3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:12:27.806987+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}