The Official Statistics Law of 2021 (Law No. 25(I)/2021) provides the legal basis for the development, production and dissemination of official statistics in Cyprus. This law replaces and repeals the Statistics Law of 2000 (Law No. 15(I)/2000).

The purpose of the new Law, which entered into force on the 18th March 2021, is to review and modernise the legislation governing the development, production and dissemination of official statistics. Its provisions are also in line with Regulation (EC) No. 223/2009 on European Statistics, with an emphasis on its latest amendment by Regulation (EU) 2015/759. The new law also attempted to include recommendations that were highlighted during the peer review process of the national statistical system, conducted in Cyprus in March 2015.

The main new provisions of the Official Statistics Law of 2021 relate to:

(a) streamlining the national statistical system, which includes, in addition to the Statistical Service, the ministries, departments and services or legal persons of public law (hereinafter referred to as "other national authorities") that produce European statistics on the basis of EU legislation and submit them to Eurostat;

(b) strengthening the coordinating role of the Statistical Service within the national statistical system and delegating specific responsibilities to the Director of the Statistical Service;

(c) the appointment of an official in charge of official statistics in the other national authorities, who will be responsible for implementing the provisions of the law, in particular with regard to the application of the statistical principles and the assurance of the quality of statistics;

(d) setting up a Committee on Coordination of Official Statistics; 

(e) the amendment of the composition of the Statistical Council in order to achieve a more balanced representation of the various stakeholders;

(f) shaping the framework for cooperation with the Central Bank;

(g) defining the statistical quality criteria which should govern the data produced in order to ensure public trust in statistics, in accordance with the European Statistics Code of Practice;

(h) strengthening the mandate regarding access to and use of administrative records for statistical purposes;

(i) improving provisions regarding data collection (provision of data for statistical purposes remains mandatory) and the protection of confidential data;

(j) respecting the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data (General Data Protection Regulation) in all stages of collection, processing and dissemination of statistical data;

(k) updating the provisions relating to offences and penalties.

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