Legislation
Table of Contents
The Belgian Statistics Act
The law on public statistics has been subject since 1962 to several modifications, which allowed for an efficient production of public statistics while protecting the data.
When the law on public statistics was amended on 22 March 2006, one of the objectives was to adapt the legal framework for the production of public statistics to European regulations on the protection of personal data (in particular Directive 95/46/EC on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data) and to the law of 8 December 1992 on privacy protection with regard to the processing of personal data, while guaranteeing the right to data protection for legal persons excluded from the scope of the legislation on privacy, so as to also give greater effectiveness to statistical confidentiality.
As both national and European legislation have undergone significant changes in recent years, it is clear that the law on public statistics had to evolve accordingly.
The law on public statistics should also take into account Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of 11 March 2009 on European statistics, which provides a framework for the entire production of European statistics. This regulation will guarantee, among other things, the right to respect for private and family life and the protection of personal data, as defined in Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
Thanks to this law, Statbel's operations are in line with the latest developments in privacy protection, administrative simplification and data exchange for scientific purposes. Statbel is thus able to fulfil its central role in the statistical landscape of federal Belgium in a modern and efficient manner.
This Act aligns the functioning of Statbel (AD Statistics Belgium) with the latest developments in the field of privacy protection, administrative simplification and data exchange for the benefit of academic research. In this way, it is able to fulfil its central role in federal Belgium's statistical process in a modern, high-performance manner.
The European Statistics Act
This Regulation of 11 March 2009 establishes a legal framework for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics. In line with the principle of subsidiarity and in accordance with the independence, integrity and accountability of national and Community authorities, European statistics are relevant and necessary for the performance of Community activities.