No L 112/56 Official Journal of the European Communities 29. 4. 97 COMMISSION DECISION of 21 April 1997 on the role of Eurostat as regards the production of Community statistics (97/281/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 155 thereof, Whereas Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 of 17 February 1997 on Community statistics (') (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Basic Regulation’) assigns certain tasks and obligations to the Community authority involved in the production of Community statistics; Whereas Article 2 of the Basic Regulation defines, for the purposes of that Regulation, the ‘Community authority’ as ‘the Commission department responsible for carrying out the tasks devolving on the Commission as regards the production of Community statistics (Eurostat)’; Whereas the implementation of the Basic Regulation requires a further definition of the role of Eurostat as regards the production of Community statistics; Whereas Eurostat must be able to act in accordance with the principles of impartiality, reliability, relevance, cost- effectiveness, statistical confidentiality and transparency; Whereas to ensure the coherence, feasibility and consis- tency of Community statistics, the importance of coopera- tion and coordination procedures must be reaffirmed between the Commission services which participate in the production of such information at Community level; Whereas the implementation of the Basic Regulation requires the protection of the confidential data which the national and Community authorities collect for the production of Community statistics; Whereas the implementation of the Basic Regulation requires the organization of dissemination by national and Community authorities, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 Objective The objective of this Decision is to implement Regulation (EC) No 322/97 (the Basic Regulation’) within the internal organization of the Commission, and in par- ticular to define the role and the responsibilities of the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) pursuant to the development of the tasks of the Com- munity authority in implementing Community statistics, () OJ No L 52, 22. 2. 1997, p. 1. and of the principles as defined in Article 10 of the Basic Regulation. Article 2 Eurostat Eurostat is the Community authority referred to in the fourth indent of Article 2 of the Basic Regulation. Eurostat is a service of the Commission, headed by a Director-General. Article 3 Principles Eurostat shall execute its tasks in accordance with the principles of impartiality, reliability, relevance, cost- effectiveness, statistical confidentiality and transparency defined in Article 10 of the Basic Regulation. Article 4 Tasks of Eurostat Within the Commission, Eurostat, in concertation with the Steering Committee on Statistical Information (9, is in charge of the implementation of the Community statis- tical programme, and in particular of: (a) developing a set of norms and methods which allow impartial, reliable, relevant and cost-effective statistics to be produced throughout the Community; (b) making Community statistics accessible, in ac- cordance with the principles regarding dissemination laid down in Article 11 of the Basic Regulation, to the Community bodies, governments of the Member States, social and economic operators, academic circles and the public in general, in view of the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Community policies. To this end Eurostat shall: (a) conduct research on, and further develop, statistical methodology and technologies; (b) prepare, further develop and promote the adoption of Community statistical standards by Member States in order to improve the comparability of Community statistics, as well as the cost-effectiveness of their production; (%) Set up in the Commission communication of 26 September 1991 (SBC(91) 1793).