The project on “Data protection within the framework of the civil registry system of Albania” was implemented by the Council of Europe under the auspices of the OSCE’s Presence in Albania project on “Technical Assistance to the Government of Albania on modernisation of administrative address and civil registration systems” through a grant agreement between the OSCE Presence and the European Commission Delegation in Albania.

The overall objective of the project was to support the establishment of a personal data protection legal framework in Albania, compliant with European standards, in order to provide a sound basis for the establishment of the civil registry. As the civil registry contains a lot of personal data, adequate rules, procedures and practices should be in place to ensure good administration and foster the trust of citizens in the way public authorities handle their personal data.

These European standards  include the adoption of a general law on personal data protection which applies to both the public and private sectors and the establishment of an independent data protection supervisory authority.

The 18-months project, which has started in March 2007 and will be implemented until September 2008, focuses on three aspects:

• assistance to the amendment of primary and secondary legislation, to bring it in line with European standards
• assistance to the establishment and effective functioning of an independent data protection supervisory authority
• raising awareness of public authorities and private parties in Albania on data protection issues and the new legal framework.