18.5.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L133)7 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 831/2002 of 17 May 2002 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community Statistics, concerning access to confidential data for scientific purposes (Text with EEA relevance) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 of 17 February 1997 on Community Statistics ('), and in particular Article 17(2) and Article 20(1) thereof, Whereas: (1) There is a growing demand by researchers and the scientific community in general to have access for scientific purposes to confidential data transmitted to the Community authority. (2)  Access for scientific purposes to confidential data may be granted either by granting access on the premises of the Community authority or by releasing anonymised data to researchers under specific conditions (controlled access). (3)  This Regulation respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in particular by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. (4)  This Regulation ensures, in particular, full respect for the right for private life and for the protection of personal data (Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union). (5)  This Regulation shall apply without prejudice to Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament 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 (3 and to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protec- tion of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (%). (6)  The measures laid down in this Regulation are in accord- ance with the opinion of the Committee on Statistical Conlfidentiality, 2, 22.2.1997, p. 1. 81, 23.11.1995, p. 31. oLs ) oL 2 OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1. HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 Aim The aim of this Regulation is to establish, for the purpose of enabling statistical conclusions to be drawn for scientific purposes, the conditions under which access to confidential data transmitted to the Community authority may be granted and the rules of cooperation between the Community and national authorities in order to facilitate such access. Article 2 Definitions For the purposes of this Regulation: — ‘Community authority’, as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 322/97, shall mean the Commission department responsible for carrying out the tasks devolving on the Commission as regards the production of Community stat- istics (Eurostat), — ‘Community statistics’, as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 322/97, shall mean quantitative, aggregated and representative information taken from the collection and systematic processing of data, produced by the national authorities and the Community authority in the framework of implementation of the Community statistical programme, — ‘Confidential data’ shall mean data which allow only indirect identification of the statistical units concerned, — ‘access to confidential data’ shall mean either access on the premises of the Community authority or release of anony- mised microdata, — ‘anonymised microdata’ shall mean individual statistical records which have been modified in order to minimise, in accordance with current best practice, the risk of identifica- tion of the statistical units to which they relate, — ‘national authorities’, as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 322/97, shall mean national statistical institutes and other bodies responsible in each Member State for producing Community statistics.