News

In the continuation of the conference "Data Protection in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Region" in Brussels, Commissioner Milan Marinović and Deputy Commissioner Sanja Unković attended a lecture held at the GIZ headquarters in Brussels by Director Andrea von Rauch, visited the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and then they attended a lecture on the topic of bringing to public attention the challenges and problems of data protection, raising awareness and the coexistence of digital transformation and data protection, and they got acquainted with the work of the Belgian Commissioner for Data Protection. The exchange of opinions and experiences between the event participants was especially interesting and fruitful.

On the last day of the event, the participants were acquainted with how the relationship between data protection and digitalization of public and private services was resolved in the province of Flanders, the impact of technology development, especially artificial intelligence, on data protection and the use of innovative digital solutions under the regulations and standards of the European Union in personal data protection.

Commissioner Milan Marinović and Deputy Commissioner Sanja Unković, on the second day of their stay in Brussels at the conference "Data Protection in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Region", as part of a delegation of competent authorities from the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, first visited the headquarters of the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) where the representatives of that institution introduced them to its organization of work, practice and future action plans of this important authority engaged in personal data protection within the EU institutions.

After that, they stayed at the headquarters of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), which gathers competent authorities dealing with personal data protection in the EU member states, where they attended the plenary session of the Board, during which all delegations presented their organization, competences, and challenges they face in personal data protection. We especially emphasize that this was the first time that the plenary session of the European Data Protection Board was attended this way by representatives of authorities engaged in personal data protection from countries that are not members of the Board. The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection has had the status of an observer on the Board since its establishment in 2018.

Commissioner Milan Marinović and Deputy Commissioner Sanja Unković are currently participating in the conference event "Data Protection in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Region", held from September 18 to 22, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, organized by the SIGMA Program, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA). On the first day of the event at the GIZ head office in Brussels, the participants had the opportunity to listen to lectures by the representatives of the Directorate General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission (DG JUST), the Directorate General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), the Chair of the European Data Protection Board Anu Talus, Secretary-General of the European Data Protection Supervisor, as well as representatives of the National Data Protection Authorities of Spain, Italy, and Norway.

On the sidelines of the event, a bilateral meeting was held between Commissioner Milan Marinović and the Director of the Personal Data Protection Agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina Dr. Dragoljub Reljić. The meeting discussed the importance of coordinated work between the supervisory authorities for personal data protection, and the improvement of cooperation between these two institutions by enhancing the exchange of good practices and useful experiences in the field of data protection in the future.

Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection Milan Marinović participated in the GIF Serbia Project closing on 12 September 2023. The project aimed to strengthen state institutions, the civil sector, and the economy in the digital rights protection and promotion field. As part of the project cooperation, the Commissioner was involved in the handbook "Personal Data Protection in Business" development, presented at this event.