News

Personal Data Protection – Legislation and Practice (Vršac)

Poverenik EU ZA TEBE

Vršac, March 5, 2025

In the Vršac Town Administration Hall, on Wednesday, March 5, starting at 10:00 a.m., the representatives of the Commissioner’s Office held a training course on the implementation of the Personal Data Protection Law for Data Protection Officers from 30 public institutions in the vicinity of the city of Vršac.

The representatives of the Office of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection conducted this training within the scope of the multi-donor project “Support for Strengthening Rule of Law in the Republic of Serbia” (EU for the Fight Against Corruption and for Fundamental Rights) financed by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), whereas the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) is in charge for its implementation.

The importance of personal data protection, consent for their processing, the purpose of lawful and fairly processing and transfer, along with determining the public and legitimate interest in data processing, are just some of the topics in the main focus of public interest. The training aims to familiarize Data Protection Officers or persons designated by Data Controllers and Data Processors (if they do not have designated Data Protection Officers) with the current legal solutions (in the EU and the Republic of Serbia) and train them for proper application of the Personal Data Protection Law.

Field trainings, which are being implemented as part of project support in 15 selected local self-government units, are particularly important for raising the capacity of personal data protection. Also, at the same time, in addition to trainings in those selected units of local self-government, panel discussions on personal data protection are being organized, primarily aiming to raise awareness among the general public and inform its citizens.

GIZ Vrsac

Osce STRONGER TOGETHER

Media Award Contest on Personal Data Protection

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, is announcing an Award Contest for the best media article on “The Importance of Personal Data Protection in the Real and Digital World”. The competition aims to raise public awareness about the importance of personal data protection and strengthen journalists’ competencies in reporting on this topic.

The competition is open to journalists from all print, electronic, and online media registered in Serbia who have published texts/articles on the Contest’s topic from 1 November 2024 to 30 June 2025. Multiple journalists from the same Media house can participate, and each participant can submit one text/article.

The criteria on which media works will be evaluated include contribution to educating the general public about ways to protect personal data in everyday life and digital world, contribution to educating the public about possible misuse of personal data and the way of safeguarding it, contribution to understanding the need for personal data protection in the context of the use of artificial intelligence, as well as contribution to understanding the role of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection in the field of personal data protection, as an independent and autonomous state body.

You can download the Contest text here - the submission deadline is July 10, 2025. (Serbian language only)

Mediji nagradni konkurs

Data Protection Training Held for Private Sector Employees

On Friday, February 7, 2025, a training on personal data protection was held for employees of Johnson Electric via webinar at this company's request to familiarize themselves better with the application of this right. Marko Milošević and Nemanja Damjanović were the lecturers from the Commissioner's Office, and the training focused on the interpretation of basic concepts, principles, legal basis, protection measures, and rights of individuals with the subsequent interaction, work on Data Records, and familiarization with the obligations of Data Protection Officers. Around 20 employees attended this online training. Compared to the custom-made training for public authorities, special attention was dedicated to the legal basis for personal data processing.

Marko i Nemanja ZZPL

Panel Discussion: Monitoring Implementation of New Law on Personal Data Protection (Leskovac)

Poverenik EU ZA TEBE

Leskovac, February 4, 2025

A panel discussion on monitoring the implementation of the new Law on Personal Data Protection was held in Leskovac City Assembly Hall on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, starting at 11:00 a.m. It was attended by Data Controllers and all interested representatives of Civil Society Organizations and the media.

Commissioner Milan Marinović, Deputy Commissioner Sanja Unković, and representatives of the Commissioner’s Office participated in today’s panel discussion.

The goal of the panel discussion was to consider the new Law on Personal Data Protection and explore ways to improve its application.

During the panel discussion, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, Milan Marinović presented the current state in the field of personal data protection in the Republic of Serbia.

Deputy Commissioner Sanja Unković presented the current position of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, the competence of the Commissioner with particular emphasis on personal data protection. Representatives of the Commissioner’s Office from the Sector for Supervision of Personal Data Protection and the Sector for Harmonization of Regulations and Normative Affairs also participated in the panel discussion.

In the upcoming period, panel discussions, which will be implemented in 15 selected Local Self-Government Units within the scope of project support, are of utmost importance for raising the general public’s awareness and informing citizens.

The organization of the panel discussion is supported by the project “Support for Strengthening Rule of Law in the Republic of Serbia”(EU for the Fight Against Corruption and for Fundamental Rights) financed by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), whereas the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) is in charge of its implementation.