1.Member States shall acquire the necessary data for the observation of the characteristics in the lists referred to in the modules in Article 3.
2.Member States may acquire the necessary data using a combination of the different sources specified below, applying the principle of administrative simplification:
compulsory surveys: the legal units, to which the statistical units called on by the Member States belong or of which they are composed, shall be obliged to give accurate and complete information within the prescribed deadlines;
other sources which are at least equivalent as regards accuracy and quality;
statistical estimation procedures where some of the characteristics have not been observed for all of the units.
3.In order to reduce response burdens, the national authorities and the Commission (Eurostat) shall, under the limits and the conditions fixed by each Member State and by the Commission in their respective spheres of competence, have access to administrative data sources covering the fields of activity of their own public administrations to the extent that these data are necessary to meet the accuracy requirements referred to in Article 6. In addition, wherever feasible, appropriate administrative data shall be used to meet the reporting requirements of this Regulation.
4.Member States and the Commission, within their respective fields of competence, shall promote the conditions for increased use of electronic data transmission and automatic data-processing.