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1. When necessary for the production of Community statistics, Member States shall transmit the confidential microdata or, depending on the domain and subject concerned, the aggregated data, in accordance with the provisions on transmission of data subject to confidentiality set out in Regulation (EC) No 322/97 and in Regulation (Euratom, EEC) No 1588/90. Those provisions shall apply to the treatment of the data by the Commission (Eurostat), in so far as the data are considered confidential within the meaning of Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 322/97. Member States shall ensure that the transmitted data do not permit the direct identification of the statistical units (individuals) and that personal data are protected in compliance with the principles laid down in Directive 95/46/EC.

2. Member States shall transmit the data and metadata required by this Regulation in electronic form, in accordance with an interchange standard agreed between the Commission (Eurostat) and the Member States. The data shall be provided in accordance with the time limits set out, at the intervals provided for, and in respect of the reference periods indicated in the Annexes or in the implementing measures adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 10(2).

3. The Commission (Eurostat) shall take the necessary steps to improve the dissemination, accessibility and documentation of the statistical information, in accordance with the principles of comparability, reliability and statistical confidentiality laid down in Regulation (EC) No 322/97 and with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001.