The Initiative for Monitoring the EU integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina successfully completed the first activity within the project CEI to DATA ROL, which, on April 15 and 16, brought together representatives of organizations that are members of the Initiative.
With the support of the Central European Initiative, the knowledge about General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was shared with present organizations, with the focus on key reforms related to protection of data. The project aims to strengthen the internal capacities of the civil sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina and generate new knowledge that will be significant in advocating for the creation of a legal framework aligned with European Union standards.
The first activity was officially opened by Lorenzo Donatelli, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Italy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who welcomed representatives of organizations and explained the importance of GDPR implementation in the EU. Emina Bošnjak, Executive Director of the Sarajevo Open Center, and Alen Gudalo, Programme Coordinator of the Initiative for Monitoring the EU integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, addressed participants and presented information about activities that will be implemented during this year.
Thanks to experts Duje Prkut and Duje Kozomara from Politiscope (Republic of Croatia), civil society organizations gained new knowledge on the implementation of this regulation in the EU member states, data management and data control, and the application of sanctions for violating GDPR’s fundamental rules.
With the recent decision of the European Council to open negotiations between our country and the European Union, the issue of personal data protection will become one of the significant topics in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European integration process, as this area will also need to be aligned with the EU regulations and adopt a demanding reform plan.
In the coming months, members of the Initiative will have the opportunity to visit organizations in the Republic of Croatia and gain new knowledge about GDPR implementation in the European Union.