2.Member States and the Commission shall take all necessary precautions to ensure that the information which they exchange pursuant to this Regulation remains confidential.Such information may not, in particular, be sent to persons other than those in the Member States or within the Community institutions whose duties require that they have access to it, unless the Member State supplying it has expressly so agreed.Information communicated or acquired in any form under this Regulation shall be covered by professional confidentiality and protected in the same way as similar information is protected by the national legislation of the Member State that received it and by the corresponding provisions applicable to the Community institutions.In addition, that information may not be used for purposes other than those provided for in this Regulation unless the authorities providing it have expressly agreed and provided that the provisions in force in the Member State in which the authority that has received it is located do not prohibit such communication or use.As regards data protection, the relevant provisions laid down in the rules on mutual assistance in customs and agricultural matters shall apply.