30.10.2009 Official Journal of the European Union L 284/1 (Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is obligatory) REGULATIONS REGULATION (EC) No 987/2009 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 16 September 2009 laying down the procedure for implementing Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems (Text with relevance for the EEA and for Switzerland) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EURO- PEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Articles 42 and 308 thereof, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the coordina- tion of social security systems (), and in particular Article 89 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (2), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (3, Whereas: (1) Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 modernises the rules on the coordination of Member States’ social security systems, specifying the measures and procedures for implementing them and simplifying them for all the players involved. Implementing rules should be laid down. (2)  Closer and more effective cooperation between social secu- rity institutions is a key factor in allowing the persons cov- ered by Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 to access their rights as quickly as possible and under optimum conditions. (1) OJ L 166, 30.4.2004, p. 1. (2) O] C 324, 30.12.2006, p. 59. (*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 9 July 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal), Council Common Position of 17 December 2008 (O] C 38 E, 17.2.2009, p. 26) and Position of the European Par- liament of 22 April 2009. Council Decision of 27 July 2009. 6) Electronic communication is a suitable means of rapid and reliable data exchange between Member States’ institutions. Processing data electronically should help speed up the procedures for everyone involved. The persons concerned should also benefit from all the guarantees provided for in the Community provisions on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing and free movement of personal data. Availability of the details (including electronic details) of those national bodies likely to be involved in implement- ing Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, in a form which allows them to be updated in real time, should facilitate exchanges between Member States’ institutions. This approach, which focuses on the relevance of purely factual information and its immediate accessibility to citizens, is a valuable simpli- fication which should be introduced by this Regulation. Achieving the smoothest possible operation and the effi- cient management of the complex procedures implement- ing the rules on the coordination of social security systems requires a system for the immediate updating of Annex 4. The preparation and application of provisions to that effect calls for close cooperation between the Member States and the Commission, and their implementation should be car- ried out rapidly, in view of the consequences of delays for citizens and administrative authorities alike. The Commis- sion should therefore be empowered to establish and man- age a database and ensure that it is operational at least from the date of entry into force of this Regulation. The Commission should, in particular, take the necessary steps to integrate into that database the information listed in Annex 4.