Use and processing of information reported
Article 4
1. The Commission may use any information provided by Member States in accordance with this Regulation to perform risk analysis, using information technology support, and may, on the basis of the information obtained, produce reports and develop systems serving to identify risks more effectively. 2. Information provided under this Regulation shall be covered by professional secrecy and protected in the same way as it would be protected by the national legislation of the Member State that provided it and by the relevant provisions applicable to the Union’s institutions. Member States and the Commission shall take all necessary precautions to ensure that the information remains confidential. 3. The information referred to in paragraph 2 shall not, in particular, be disclosed to persons other than those in the Member States or within the Union’s institutions, agencies, offices and bodies whose duties require that they have access to it, unless the Member State providing it has given its express consent. 4. The information referred to in paragraph 2 shall not be used for any purposes other than the protection of the Union’s financial interests unless the Member State providing it had given its express consent.