The inaugural meeting of the network of representatives from the data protection supervisory authorities in Eastern Partnership countries is being held in Tbilisi

2023-07-24 16:23:41
From July 3-7, the inaugural meeting of the network of representatives from the data protection supervisory authorities in Eastern Partnership countries is being held in Tbilisi. This event is being organized by the Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia as part of the "Re-Engineering of Public Services in the Eastern Partnership" project, which falls in the scope of the Eastern Partnership Regional Public Administration Reform Fund. Notably, the regional meetings also feature the participation of representatives from the German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI).

The commencement of the event took place with an opening address delivered by Dr. Otar Chakhunashvili, Deputy President of the Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia, and Dr. Hrachik Yarmaloyan, Regional Manager of EaP Regional Fund for PAR Project “Re-Engineering of Public Services in EaP”, implemented by GIZ. In his speech, Dr. Otar Chakhunashvili underscored the significance of collaboration among fellow data protection supervisory bodies and apprised the participants of the accomplishments of the Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia, including the adoption of the new Law "On Personal Data Protection" and the obtaining the observer’s status to the activities of the "European Data Protection Board".  

Furthermore, the first day of the event was attended by Nikoloz Popiashvili, the Head of the President’s Office of the Service, and Davit Karashvili, the Head of the Legal Department. The meeting was also participated by Ana Tokhadze, the Head of the Department of International Relations, Analytics, and Strategic Development; Aleksandre Mirianashvili, the Lawyer of the Department of Supervision of Law Enforcement Bodies, and Mikheil Kazishvili, the Internal Auditor of the Service.

Within the scope of the initial day of the regional meeting, Davit Karashvili, Head of the Legal Department of the Service, introduced the legal institutions and regulations stipulated by the new law "On Personal Data Protection" to the attendees.

As a part of the event, the delegation also visited the Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia, where Ana Tokhadze, the Head of the Department of International Relations, Analytics, and Strategic Development, shared statistical data concerning the Service's mandate and activities, in addition to information on international relations and efforts were undertaken to raise public awareness.

It is noteworthy that since June 2022, the project initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has been implemented in five Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The primary objective of this project is to facilitate cooperation, experience sharing, and knowledge exchange among the state agencies of the Eastern Partnership countries.

It is crucial to emphasize that the Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia actively participates in the events scheduled within the aforementioned project, with two meetings having already taken place. The first meeting, held from February 6-10, 2023, focused on customer-oriented design and service delivery, while the second meeting occurred from May 22-26 in Chisinau, Moldova, with a focus on digital transformation. Nikoloz Popiashvili, the Head of the Office of the President of the Service, participated in this second meeting alongside representatives from other public institutions in Georgia.

Within the framework of the same project, two additional meetings are planned, addressing topics such as the performance evaluation and quality management in performance of public institutions, feedback mechanisms on public services and personal data protection. The Personal Data Protection Service is committed to active collaboration with relevant agencies during these meetings.