The approval of the national statistical authority which transmitted the confidential data concerned shall be sought for each research proposal before the access is granted. The national statistical authority shall submit its position to Eurostat within four weeks from the date on which the national statistical authority received the relevant report on the assessment of the research proposal.

The national statistical authorities which transmitted the confidential data concerned and the Commission (Eurostat) shall, whenever possible, agree on simplifying the consultation procedure and improving its timeliness.