Today, October 7, 2022, the final conference of the twinning project ” Support in the implementation of the modernized legal framework for the protection of personal data “, financed by the European Union, was organized in the Marriott Hotel, Skopje. The project is implemented by the Personal Data Protection Agency of the Republic of Croatia and the German Foundation for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the beneficiary is the Personal Data Protection Agency of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The conference was opened by the director of the Agency , Mr. Imer Aliu, welcoming the twinning partners and expressing his satisfaction with the successful completion of the project. The director emphasized that through the joint effort of the experts from Croatia and Germany and the employees of the Agency, impressive results were achieved, thus realizing the main goal of the project, which is easier implementation of the Law on Personal Data Protection. This was achieved during 18 months through the holding of professional trainings for the employees of the Agency as well as participants from the public and private sectors, the preparation of guides, guidelines, analyses, methodology for the harmonization of sectoral laws, as well as activities for raising public awareness of protection of personal data and privacy, especially among young people.
Mr. Talat Jaffery, president of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, confirmed the extremely important role of the national authorities for the protection of personal data which they play in guaranteeing the protection against violation of personal integrity and the protection of other human rights and fundamental freedoms during the collection, processing and use of personal data. The President of the Assembly emphasized that in order for the employees of the Agency to be fully prepared and consistent with the expectations of them, it is necessary to be professionally prepared and legally supported in every segment of their activities. “I have to refer to another important component in this matter, which is the political, financial and functional independence and independence of the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data. It is established by law and conditions should be created for it so that it can function efficiently and effectively. That independence is necessary so that the Agency can perform its competences, tasks, powers and responsibilities, which are now expanded and for which, of course, it should be supported by a sufficient number of expert and professional executors. At the same time, the executors should take care not to abuse the powers and status of the Agency and themselves as employees and not to be guided by personal, business and financial interests, but to protect the reputation of the Agency and their personal integrity in every action. , of course. I am convinced that if we all give our personal contribution in our segment of action and the Agency, our citizens will be more satisfied and have more trust in the state and state institutions,” concluded Mr. Talat Xhaferi.
The director of the Personal Data Protection Agency of the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Zdravko Vukić , thanked everyone who was part of the project and expressed his satisfaction with the achieved results. He referred to the cooperation between the agencies and emphasized the preparation for further cooperation and exchange of experiences, especially in relation to the opening of negotiations for accession to the EU of North Macedonia.
As the head of the department for economic issues, institution building and cross-border cooperation in the EU Delegation, Mrs. Maria Kanelopoulou , spoke about the important aspects related to the building of state institutions from the aspect of the state’s preparations for assuming the obligations of the EU legislation. This was followed by speeches by H.E. Nieves Tiganj and H.E. Anke Holstein , the ambassadors of Croatia and Germany, which are partner countries in the implementation of the EU twinning project. Their Excellencies emphasized the importance of twinning projects as instruments for institutional cooperation between EU partner countries and the beneficiary country in order to achieve concrete results through the execution of mutual activities.
The first part of the official program was dedicated to the results and successes achieved within the project, how they contribute to strengthened capacities and developed awareness of the protection of personal data in the country, with reference to the next steps that will ensure consistent application and further improvement of the legal framework . In this part , Mr. Igor Vulje , deputy director of AZOP and head of the project, gave speeches; Mrs. Sanja Silay Zeman , permanent twinning advisor; Mrs. Katerina Tegeder from the partner organization IRZ, and Mrs. Slobodanka Slavkovska , head of the supervision department from AZLP.
The event was rounded off by a panel discussion on the topic ” Security of personal data “, with the participation of representatives from partner institutions, the state sector, civil society and the business community, who spoke about the legal and technical aspects related to the security of personal data processing and the importance of the same in the modern digital world.
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