1. The Commission shall instruct the Director-General of Eurostat to ensure the protection of data transmitted to Eurostat by the national authorities of the Member States. It shall establish the arrangements for the internal organisation of Eurostat in order to ensure such protection, after consulting the Committee referred to in Article 7(1).
2. Confidential statistical data transmitted to Eurostat shall be accessible only to officials of Eurostat and may be used by them exclusively for statistical purposes.
3. However, the Commission may grant access to confidential statistical data to other staff of Eurostat and other natural persons working on the premises of Eurostat under contract, in special cases and exclusively for statistical purposes. The procedures for such access shall be determined by the Commission in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 7(2).
4. Confidential statistical data in Eurostat's possession may be disseminated only when combined with other data in a form which ensures that statistical units cannot be identified either directly or indirectly.
5. Officials and other staff of Eurostat and other natural persons working on the premises of Eurostat under contract may not use or distribute these data for purposes other than those laid down in this Regulation. This prohibition shall continue to apply following transfer, termination of service or retirement.
6. The protection measures referred to in paragraphs 1 to 5 shall apply to:
all confidential statistical data the transmission of which to Eurostat is covered by an act of Community law governing a Community statistic;
all confidential statistical data transmitted voluntarily by Member States to Eurostat.