The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection ('Poverenik') announced, on 4 November 2022, that it had initiated extraordinary inspection supervision of the implementation of the Law on Protection of Personal Data 2018 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 87/2018) ('the Law') by the City Administration of the City of Belgrade ('the City Administration'), due to its processing of the personal data of persons up to 19 years of age and of employees and persons engaged in work in primary and secondary schools in the territory of Belgrade, for the purpose of giving out free vouchers.

In particular, Poverenik noted that every pre-school, primary, and secondary school is legally obliged to have a designated data protection officer ('DPO') so that if a parent or guardian needs to be informed in more detail about the personal data processing of a minor regarding the provision of free vouchers, they can address the DPO. Furthermore, Poverenik pointed out that it will promptly inform the public of the outcomes of the extraordinary inspection.

You can read the press release here.

UPDATE (10 November 2022)

Poverenik conducts inspection of Belgrade City Administration regarding vouchers

Poverenik announced, on 9 November 2022, that it had conducted an extraordinary inspection supervision of the Law by the City Administration. In particular, Poverenik highlighted that the City Administration's Secretariat for Education and Children's Welfare, on 7 November 2022, sent a letter to the directors of preschool institutions and primary and secondary schools informing them that they only need to submit data on the number of children, students, employees, and part-time hired employees in those institutions, exclusively in the form of signed and certified statements of directors guaranteeing data reliability. Following the inspection, Poverenik determined that in this particular case, the Secretariat for Education and Children's Welfare does not process the personal data of persons up to 19 years of age, nor employees and part-time hired employees in preschool institutions, primary, and secondary schools in the territory of Belgrade.

You can read the press release here.