EN 
 
 
  OPINION OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK 
of 9 July 2008 
at the request of the Bulgarian Prime Minister on  a draft law amending the Law on statistics  
(CON/2008/29) 
 
Introduction and legal basis  
On 17 June 2008 the European Central Bank (ECB) recei ved a request from the Bulgarian Prime Minister 
for an opinion on a draft law amending the Law on statistics (hereinafter the ‘draft law’). 
The ECB’s competence to deliver an  opinion is based on Article 105(4) of the Treaty establishing the 
European Community and the fourth indent of Article 2(1) of Council Decision 98/415/EC of 
29 June 1998 on the consultation of the European Ce ntral Bank by national authorities regarding draft 
legislative provisions1, as the draft law relates to the collection, compilation and distribution of statistics. 
In accordance with the first sentence of Article 17.5 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Central 
Bank, the Governing Council has adopted this opinion. 
 1.
 Purpose of the draft law 
The purpose of the draft law is to provide a clear le gal framework for the implementation of the functions 
and tasks of the National Statistical System as a part  of the European Statistical System. Primarily, the 
draft law sets out of the conditions under which the Na tional Statistical Institute (NSI) and the statistics 
bodies are to fulfil their obligations under the annual Eu ropean statistical programmes. It strengthens the 
requirements to protect statistical confidentialit y, regulates the voluntary and mandatory use of 
administrative sources for the production of official statistical information, specifies the relationships 
between the NSI and the statistical bodies, and impl ements the principles laid down in the European 
Statistical Code of Practice. 
 2. General observations  2.1   The ECB welcomes the draft law which will optimis e the reliability and efficiency of the statistical 
production process.  
2.2   In that regard, it should be emphasised that  ensuring effective cooperation between the national 
central bank, as a producer of statistics, and other statistical authorities is very important for the 
quality and cost-effectiveness of statistics. Dependi ng on national circumstances and choices, this 
                                                 
1  OJ L 189, 3.7.1998, p. 42.  
 
 2aim can be pursued through different institutiona l settings. Whatever the general setting, the 
specific arrangements should aim to optimise the reliability and efficiency of the statistical production process, while preserving in all resp ects the independence of the central bank
2. 
2.3   Moreover, the ECB notes that Article 4(5) of  the Law on statistics provides that the NSI will 
collaborate closely with Българска  народна  банка  (Bulgarian National Bank) by exchange of 
individual data for statistical purposes provided it is necessary for the development, production and 
dissemination of official national or European sta tistical information or statistical information of 
the ECB. Following this principle of effectiv e cooperation, the ECB suggests clarifying in 
Article 30(1) that the Българска  народна  банка  (Bulgarian National Bank) has access to 
the registers mentioned in this Article. 
 This opinion will be published on the ECB’s website.    Done at Frankfurt am Main, 9 July 2008. 
 
[signed] 
 
The President of the ECB 
Jean-Claude TRICHET 
 
 
                                                 
2   See ECB Opinion CON/2008/6 of 1 February 2008 at the re quest of the Portuguese Parliament on a draft law on the 
principles, rules and structure of  the National Statistical System.