Dervishi demands advanced treatment for candidate countries - European Commission evaluates Albania's reforms
The Commissioner for the Right to Information and Personal Data Protection, Besnik Dervishi, raised at the European level the issue of the status of candidate countries in the process of transferring personal data, during the proceedings of the 121st Plenary Meeting of the European Data Protection Board in Brussels.
During the discussion with the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, Dervishi presented Albania's progress in harmonizing national legislation with European Union standards in the field of personal data protection.
He 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. The country also has an independent supervisory authority according to European standards and has been contributing to the work of the EDPB as an observer since 2016.
Dervishi noted that, despite the high level of approximation with European legislation, Albania continues to be considered a third country for the purposes of transferring personal data. In this context, he called for the progress of candidate countries to be assessed more objectively and in accordance with the level of legal and institutional harmonization with the European Union acquis.
In his response, Commissioner McGrath praised Albania's progress in aligning its legislation with European standards on the protection of personal data. He stressed that the relationship between the European Union and Albania in this area is developed in the context of the EU accession process, which represents a more advanced level of integration than a separate adequacy decision.
According to him, transfers of personal data can be carried out through mechanisms and instruments provided for by current European legislation.
During the plenary session, participants also discussed the latest developments in the field of personal data protection in the European Union, including data anonymization, security breach reporting, the interaction between the GDPR and the Digital Markets Act, as well as the challenges related to the use of artificial intelligence and new technologies.
The participation of the Albanian Authority in these high-level discussions confirms Albania's continued commitment to meeting European standards in the protection of personal data, as part of the process of integration into the European Union and strengthening the fundamental rights of citizens.
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