The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection estimates that the "Initiative for urgent adoption of the new Law on Personal Data Protection", which has been submitted by a large group of non-governmental organizations, is an expression and confirmation of the responsible attitude of the non-governmental sector towards the serious and very complex issue which our country has been faced with for too long.
The Commissioner is particularly pleased with the evaluations of the entities who have submitted the Initiative that the Model Law on Personal Data Protection, which he and his associates have prepared, is a good regulatory framework in line with European regulations, which can provide far better protection of citizens' privacy and legal security to companies wishing to do business in our country.
During the two-month public debate organized and carried out by the Commissioner, in addition to the entities who have submitted the Initiative, intensive exchange of views has been achieved with a number of other entities, thus the Model Law has been given general or full support by the entities such as the Foreign Investors Council, American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Association of Serbian Banks, Serbian Society for Informatics, Judges' Association of Serbia, etc.
The prepared Model Law is to the greatest possible extent aligned with the General Data Protection Regulation, and more importantly, it contains solutions which are an adequate response to the issues ignored by competent authorities, despite the Commissioner’s warnings, which has jeopardized the exercise of citizens’ rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the law.
The applicable Law on Personal Data Protection does not contain even the minimum provisions referring to some, from the standpoint of the personal data processing, very important and delicate areas such as video surveillance, biometrics and so on. As a result, for a long time, practically every day, we have been faced with the fact that it is very difficult and often impossible to ensure the exercise of the right to personal data protection in all areas of life. The Commissioner has already highlighted this problem on numerous occasions, and advocated for its resolution, inter alia, by submitting to the Government articulated normative solutions in certain areas, however competent authorities have failed to react appropriately.
The Commissioner will present the Model Law prepared in accordance with the results of the public debate at the conference at the Media Center in Belgrade, on 15 June.
Upon the formation of the new Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Commissioner will make the Model Law available to the Government or the Ministry of Justice, with the suggestion to accept the constructive initiative and put the Model Law into the formal procedure as soon as possible, so that Serbia finally gets the long-sought but necessary new Law on Personal Data Protection.
