The Information and Data Protection Commissioner’s Office participated in the roundtable organized by Confindustria Albania on the topic “The new legal framework for privacy in Albania: obligations, opportunities and scenarios”.

The Director of the Commissioner’s Cabinet, Ms. Besa Velaj, an expert in drafting the Law of Personal Data Protection and its implementing sub-legal acts, presented the key points of this law, the innovations it brings, and the approach that data controllers and processors should adopt.

Ms. Velaj in her speech emphasized that Law No. 124/2024, fully aligned with the General Regulation of the European Union (GDPR), aims to regulate the methods of data processing. She noted that the stages through which this law went until its adoption served Albania to see the experience of EU countries. Focusing on the administrative sanctions provided for by the Law of Personal Data Protection, Ms. Velaj appealed to controllers and processors to increase the culture of data protection, while inviting them to be proactive towards the protection of personal data, as the Commissioner’s Office primarily aims at raising awareness.

Also invited to this roundtable was the Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr. Tedi Dobi, who stated that this law is the result of several years of hard work and brings about the harmonization of all interests. He emphasized that the involvement of the business and entrepreneurship world is of particular importance, also in the context of the negotiations for Albania’s membership in the EU.

The President of Confindustria Albania, Mr. Davide Rogai, said that Italian-Albanian entrepreneurs must support each other and take responsibility for how this data will be used, in order to contribute to the creation of a safer digital environment.

The Head of the Trade Office at the Italian Embassy in Albania, Mr. Stefano Salmaso, stated that the Law of Personal Data Protection that is now being implemented in Albania will give companies the opportunity to further increase consumer trust and improve the relationship between company leaders and consumers.

The new Law On the Protection of Personal Data was adopted on 19 December 2024 by the Parliament of the Republic of Albania and entered into force in February of this year. During this period, the Commissioner’s Office has organized trainings and roundtable discussions to increase understanding and awareness of the full implementation of the law.