Collection of statistical information by the ECB

Opinion on the Recommendation for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2533/98 concerning the collection of statistical information by the European Central Bank, OJ C 192, 15.08.2009, p. 1

On 23 November 1998, the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EC) No 2533/98 concerning the collection of statistical information by the European Central Bank (ECB). In order to maintain this Regulation as an effective instrument to carry out the statistical information collection tasks of the European System of Central Banks, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank adopted a Recommendation for a Council Regulation amending Regulation No 2533/98.

The Opinion analyses the Recommendation and gives some further reflexion on the relation between statistical confidentiality and data protection.

More specifically the EDPS:

• welcomes that the proposed amendments contain a specific reference to the data protection legal framework;
• underlines the need for further clarification of some concepts common to data protection and statistics;
• considers that the purpose limitation principle should be ensured in the widening of scope of the Regulation;
• stresses the need to assess the necessity of processing payment statistics which may contain personal information about natural persons;
• advocates for further collaboration between the European Statistical System and the ECB in view of ensuring the respect of the data quality principle as well as the data minimization principle;
• suggests that access to statistical information for research purposes should be provided in such a way that the reporting agent cannot be identified, either directly or indirectly, when account is taken of all relevant means that might reasonably be used by a third party.