PRINCIPLES GOVERNING BY SE WHICH THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM LAW No. 35 / VII / 2009, OF 02 MARCH

INDEPENDENCE (Article 5.):

1. Official statistics are produced and disseminated:

a) Professionally independently, free from any interference from political bodies and regulatory or administrative services, as well as private sector operators, particularly as the selection of techniques, definitions, methodologies and sources to be used and the timing and content of all forms of dissemination;

b) Systematic and secure, implying the use of professional and ethical standards based on best practices and which are transparent to users and respondents;

c) That all users are treated in an equitable manner, particularly with regard to equality and simultaneity of access to the results.

2. The OPES have the right to make and publish comments on misinterpretations and misuse of official statistics.

STATISTICAL AUTHORITY (Article 9.):

1. In the exercise of its activity, the OPES can conduct censuses and surveys and take all steps necessary for the production of official statistics, may request statistical information to all authorities, bodies and departments of the public sector and to all natural or legal persons who are in the country or are active in it.

2. In accordance with the preceding paragraph, it is mandatory to provide the statistical information that is requested by OPES,  unremunerated service within the time limits which they lay down under penalty of sanctions on offenders in accordance with Articles 31 to 37. (…)

5. The leaders of the Public Administration bodies which are requested by the NSI to provide the information referred to in the preceding paragraph, are functionally required to satisfy them in terms of this request, promptly and free of charge, they are obliged to inform the National Statistical Council whenever administrative records transferred to NSI contain Personal Information.

STATISTICAL CONFIDENTIALITY (Article 10.):

1. Individual statistical data on natural persons and legal persons obtained directly or indirectly from administrative or other sources, for official statistical purposes, are protected against any illegal disclosure seeking to safeguard the privacy of citizens, preserve fair competition among economic actors and ensure confidence in the National Statistical System.

STATISTICAL COORDINATION (Article 11.):

1. The National Statistical Council approved nomenclatures, concepts and statistical definitions and other technical tools for statistical coordination of mandatory use by OPES for the harmonization and integration of the produced official statistics and the burden of minimizing on respondents.

2. NSI Delegate bodies previously register in NSI questionnaires used in its official statistical surveys, regardless of their support, registration conforms to the following standards, regulated by the Government, upon proposal by the NSI (…)

3. Conducting surveys by other public entities depends on prior authorization from the NSI, to be regulated by the Government upon proposal by the NSI, given the rules set out in the preceding paragraph, with the necessary adaptations (Decree-Law 3/2012 of 17 February).