Amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance allowed the Commissioner to open offices outside his headquarters in Belgrade so that all citizens of Serbia would have equal access to this institution. So far two offices have been opened outside of Belgrade, the first in Novi Sad and then the second in Niš.
The third Office of the Commissioner outside Belgrade is to be opened in Kragujevac by the end of the year as a result of many years of successful cooperation with the Faculty of Law of the University of Kragujevac.
The previous cooperation included the Short Study Program on Legal Data Protection and Access to Information at the aforementioned faculty, now graduated by three generations of Managers for Access to Information and Personal Data Protection. This program aims to raise the staff expertise level in the areas of personal data protection and access to information of public importance, increasing the efficiency and quality of the administration's work, as well as greater data security for our citizens.
That was the reason for Commissioner Milan Marinović's and his Deputy Sanja Marinković's visit to this higher education institution yesterday with their associates, and their announcement of the opening of the third Office outside the headquarters in Belgrade.
The capital of Latvia is hosting the 32nd Conference of European National Data Protection Authorities (the so-called Spring Conference), taking place from May 14 to 16, 2024, in the Mezaparks National Park in Riga.
On the first day of the conference, after the opening address of the Director of the Data State Inspectorate of Latvia, Ms. Yekatarina Matsuka, the President of the European Data Protection Board, Ms. Anu Talus, and the member of the Data Protection Unit of the Council of Europe, Mr. Peter Kimpian, the participants were presented with examples from the practice of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights that are relevant to personal data protection at EU member states and the Council of Europe level.
At the three-day conference, many important topics are to be discussed, including the position and independence of National Data Protection Authorities under European regulations, the challenges posed to data protection by the development of digitization and e-commerce, personal data protection in the context of AI created content, the protection of children as users of online platforms, as well as the relationship between the General Data Protection Regulation and the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations.
Regarding the information published in the media that the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, in inspection supervision carried out at the Ministry of Interior (MUP) regarding the list of potential victims made by the perpetrator of the brutal murders in the "Vladislav Ribnikar" Elementary School, determined that the Head of the City Administration in MUP did not violate the Constitution and the Law, but that certain media did, and now for accurately and completely informing the public regarding the specific case, the Commissioner issues the following statement:
The inspection in this particular case is still ongoing and has not been completed. The conducted Field Report of the inspection supervision carried out in the MUP in June 2023, stated only what for the time being was determined by this supervision, but in the interim and during the inspection, the authorized Commissioner's Inspection Supervision Officers found out that the Internal Control proceeding of the Ministry of Interior had been initiated regarding the aforementioned event, so it was decided to proceed with this inspection supervision until the results of that control were obtained. After the aforementioned field inspection supervision, the Commissioner addressed in writing the Ministry of Interior on several occasions requesting from Ministry to inform him whether the internal control procedure has been completed and, if so, that the Report on that procedure is to be submitted to the Commissioner, but to the date of publishing this announcement it has not been done.
The above means that the media have disseminated information from the still ongoing inspection supervision and the Field Report of the supervision which is not in its final form, meaning that the Commissioner still does not have the established facts from the Internal Control Proceedings of the MUP at his disposal at the moment, and he, hereby, appeals to all, and especially representatives of the media, not to publish data from the Report whose final version the Commissioner has not yet prepared and also for which reason he has not published it. Publishing just parts of the unfinished Report of the still ongoing Inspection Supervision can only lead to misapprehension and mislead the public. When the supervision proceedings are completed and the final text of the Report is made, the Commissioner will inform the public about everything without delay.
On this occasion, the Commissioner reminds the interested public of his appeal addressed to the media and competent authorities in May 2023 to respect the right to privacy and the right to personal data protection of all persons affected by the tragic event at the "Vladislav Ribnikar" Elementary School, and to take all available measures so that such tragedies never happen again.
„Various bodies and organizations from all over the world engaged in personal data protection must unite to set firm boundaries, not to hinder technological development, but to reduce abuse and risks to a minimum, i.e. to be under strict control and respect of human rights and in particular the right to privacy and the right to personal data protection. The key question in the time of the development of modern technologies is not how to control artificial intelligence, but how to control the person who controls artificial intelligence," said Commissioner Milan Marinović in his introductory speech during the celebration of Data Protection Day, which took place today at the Serbian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Representatives of foreign delegations in Serbia Mrs. Plamena Halačeva, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Mrs. Carolina Hidea, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Mr. Tod Andrews, Interim Director of the USAID Mission to Serbia, pointed out that to minimize the risks posed by digitization and the use of artificial intelligence, it is crucial that, in addition to the adopted Strategy on Personal Data Protection, all other regulations should be harmonized with the Law on Personal Data Protection. The Director of the Agency for Personal Data Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Dragoljub Reljić, as an example of regional cooperation, pointed out that in the drafting of the new legal solution, they modeled themselves on the experience of Serbia and our Law on Personal Data Protection.
For the first time, awards were conferred for special contributions to Personal Data Protection in the Republic of Serbia. There are many reasons why these institutions are this year's award winners, and we will mention only a few.
To the OSCE Mission to Serbia, with whose help we did the first media campaign, educational videos, public opinion poll in this area, and the preparation of the Analysis for the Compliance of Regulations with Personal Data Protection. To the American Agency for International Development (USAID) for long-term cooperation, organizing online training sessions, creating the Commissioner's logo, and creating promotional films and tutorials. To the German Agency for International Cooperation(GIZ) for the organization of roundtables and training sessions for members of local self-government, international conferences, and a publication dedicated to personal data protection in employment relations. To the Faculty of Security Studies of the University of Belgrade, which trailblazed a short study program into the education system of Serbia, now already for the fourth generation of students. To the Propulsion Fund Foundation, who helped us reach the youngest population - children, with whose help we created the promotional brochure "Personal data is our treasure, how can we protect it?". Commissioner Milan Marinović presented a Certificate of Appreciation to the Serbian Chamber of Industry and Commerce for long-term cooperation.
Deputy Commissioner Sanja Unković highlighted that this is the fifteenth anniversary of the establishment of the body for personal data protection in the Republic of Serbia. She emphasized the importance of exchanging experiences with other bodies through the organization of international conferences, study trips, and participation in the work of international bodies. During the presentation of the latest publication number IX, she underlined that this publication also contains, for the first time, the practice of the Sector for Processing Misdemeanors, with initiated requests for misdemeanor proceedings and issued misdemeanor orders.
In the end, she emphasized that by adopting in 2023 the Strategy for Personal Data Protection for the period 2023-2030 we expect that the Action Plan is soon to be adopted, which will enable the said Strategy to come to life and deliver the expected results.
You can download the publication in PDF version here(in Serbian language only).
You can also see the gallery of photos from the event here.
You can watch the recording of the event (in Serbian language only) on the Commissioner's YouTube channel:
