12.1.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L 81 | (Acts whose publication is obligatory) REGULATION (EC) No 45/2001 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE (5) A Regulation is necessary to provide the individual with EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 286 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (%), Whereas: (1)  Article 286 of the Treaty requires the application to the Community institutions and bodies of the Community acts on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data. ) A fully-fledged system of protection of personal data not only requires the establishment of rights for data subjects and obligations for those who process personal data, but also appropriate sanctions for offenders and monitoring by an independent supervisory body. (3)  Article 286(2) of the Treaty requires the establishment of an independent supervisory body responsible for monitoring the application of such Community acts to Community institutions and bodies. (4)  Article 286(2) of the Treaty requires the adoption of any other relevant provisions as appropriate. () O] C 376E, 28.12.1999, p. 24. () O] C 51, 23.2.2000, p. 48. (*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 14 November 2000 and Council Decision of 30 November 2000. legally enforceable rights, to specify the data processing obligations of the controllers within the Community institutions and bodies, and to create an independent supervisory authority responsible for monitoring the processing of personal data by the Community institu- tions and bodies. (6)  The Working Party on the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data set up under Article 29 of Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parlia- ment and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data () has been consulted. (7)  The persons to be protected are those whose personal data are processed by Community institutions or bodies in any context whatsoever, for example because they are employed by those institutions or bodies. (8)  The principles of data protection should apply to any information concerning an identified or identifiable person. To determine whether a person is identifiable, account should be taken of all the means likely to be reasonably used either by the controller or by any other person to identify the said person. The principles of protection should not apply to data rendered anony- mous in such a way that the data subject is no longer identifiable. (9)  Directive 95/46/EC requires Member States to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons, and in particular their right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data, in order to ensure the free flow of personal data in the Community. () O] L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31.