New Data Protection Law/ Dervishi: "It marks great progress, now the challenge is its full implementation!"
The Office of the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Personal Data Protection co-organized with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) an information forum with business representatives on the topic "Improving Personal Data Protection Standards in Albania, Implementation of the New Law - Challenges and Solutions for Businesses".
In his speech to AmCham members, Commissioner Dervishi emphasized that the new law 124/2024 brings a series of essential innovations in the protection of personal data, which have a direct impact on businesses as controllers and processors, as they must ensure full transparency on how they process and administer this data.
“The new law provides better protection for data subjects and also defines more clearly the rights and obligations of each controller and processor. The law expands the rights of individuals over their data, including: The right to access and rectify data; the right not to be subject to automated decisions; as well as the right to be forgotten, which obliges businesses and online platforms to delete data that is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected,” Commissioner Dervishi emphasized.
He stressed that businesses must take stronger measures to protect personal data against loss, unauthorized access or misuse. The law also requires businesses to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO), who will be responsible for overseeing compliance with the law and ensuring that appropriate measures are implemented.
“In addition to legal obligations, it is essential that we all change our approach to the protection of personal data. This is not only a legal requirement, but a necessary practice to build trust between businesses and citizens. Personal data is a valuable asset and its protection should be a priority for every organization,” Mr. Dervishi further underlined in his speech.
The Commissioner also summarized the long journey that this law has followed, emphasizing that its drafting and finalization came as a result of the European Union's requirements within the framework of the integration process, but also as Albania's ambition to have a law fully aligned with EU regulations and directives.
Amcham Executive Director, Mr. Neritan Mullaj stated that “such a large participation in the activity is a sign of the broad interest of businesses in this important law. Also, this law creates access for businesses to be as competitive as possible in the international and European framework. On the other hand, it is a complex law, so cooperation and dialogue with the Commissioner's Office is important. We need to be aware, as this will be a valuable law for our businesses.”
The Director of the Commissioner's Cabinet, Ms. Besa Velaj, once an expert in drafting the law on the protection of personal data, as well as the set of guidelines for the implementation of this law, presented the methodology for calculating the amount of administrative sanctions and discussed the challenges of businesses in compliance with the requirements of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Albana Karapanço, Chair of AmCham's Legal, Regulatory and Intellectual Property Rights Committee, expressed her satisfaction that the administrative sanctions methodology was presented for the first time at this event as an opportunity to raise awareness and clarify through concrete examples how regulatory tools will function in implementing the law.
Business representatives expressed their opinions and recommendations regarding the implementation of the new legal package, as well as shared thoughts on continued cooperation with the Commissioner's Office in order to fully implement the law and bylaws. The Commissioner's Office will maintain open communication with businesses and will conduct ongoing trainings, as well as other discussion tables, with the aim of increasing capacities, as well as the full implementation of the new law on the protection of personal data.
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