During the proceedings of the 121st Plenary Meeting of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), held in Brussels, the Information and Data Protection Commissioner, Mr. Besnik Dervishi, accompanied by the Director of the Cabinet, Ms. Besa Velaj, raised at the European level the issue of assessing the progress of candidate countries in the field of personal data protection.
During the discussion session with the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael McGrath, Commissioner Dervishi presented the progress achieved by Albania in harmonizing national legislation with the Acquis of the European Union in the field of personal data protection.
In his intervention, Commissioner Dervishi stressed that Albania has adopted a new law on the protection of personal data, fully aligned with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Directive 2016/680 on law enforcement authorities, has an independent supervisory authority in line with European standards and has been contributing to the work of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) as an observer since 2016.
Referring to the fact that, despite this progress, the high level of approximation with European standards and being considered at the same level as EU Member States, Albania still continues to be considered a third country for the purposes of transferring personal data.
In this context, Commissioner Dervishi stressed the need for the progress of candidate countries to be assessed objectively and in accordance with the level of harmonisation of legislation and institutional capacities with the European Union Acquis at a faster pace.
In his response, European Commissioner Michael McGrath praised Albania’s progress in aligning its legislation with EU standards in the field of personal data protection. He stressed that the EU’s relationship with Albania in this area is part of a broader and more ambitious process, directly linked to the EU accession process, which involves a more advanced level of integration than a separate adequacy decision. He also underlined that transfers of personal data can be carried out in accordance with the mechanisms and instruments provided for by the legislation in force.
During the plenary session, participants also discussed a number of issues of relevance to the latest developments in the field of personal data protection in the European Union, including data anonymisation, notification of security breaches, the interaction between the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Digital Markets Act, as well as the challenges related to the use of artificial intelligence and new technologies.
The active participation of the Albanian Authority in the EDPB’s proceedings and the discussions held at the high European level confirm Albania’s continued commitment to meeting European Union standards in the field of personal data protection, as part of the European integration process and the strengthening of citizens’ fundamental rights.
