As part of the international conference KosovaPAR2025, a panel discussion “AI Risks, Legal Perspective and Data Protection” was held, in which the Director of the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency and Deputy Chair of the European Data Protection Board Zdravko Vukić participated. He spoke about the challenges of implementing artificial intelligence systems in public institutions and ways to ensure that the fundamental rights of citizens are not compromised during the use of AI in public administration.
„Speaking about the situation in Croatia, I would say that the main challenge for public institutions – and for organisations in general – when implementing AI systems that involve the processing of personal data is understanding that such processing must always comply with the GDPR. There are no exceptions. Compliance with the GDPR is in fact a precondition for compliance with the AI Act.“ said Director Vukić.
He emphasized that compliance with the GDPR and the protection of fundamental rights can be achieved by systematically educating public authorities on how to properly carry out data protection impact assessments. This makes it possible to identify risks for fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens posed by processing activities and how to mitigate them.
„AI for sure brings benefits for public administration, increasing efficiency and supporting decision-making. However, these benefits must not come at the expense of citizens’ rights.“ emphasized Director and Deputy Chair Vukić adding that in the Republic of Croatia, the use of artificial intelligence systems is already covered by the General Data Protection Regulation and the Artificial Intelligence Act, while the drafting of the Act on the Implementation of the Artificial Intelligence Act is underway.“ Together, these three instruments will provide a robust legal framework to safeguard the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals in relation to AI systems, both in the public and the private sector.“
Kaltrina Haxa-Ferizi (Procredit bank), Debabrata Samanta (RIT Kosovo (A.U.K.), India) participated in the panel under the moderatorship of Krenara Sogojeva, Commissioner of the Information and Privacy Agency of the Republic of Kosovo.
KosovaPAR is an international conference organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, which was held from 3rd to 5th September 2025 in Pristina with the aim of exchanging innovations and best practices in the field of public administration. The conference included keynote speeches from recognized global authorities, panel discussions with different international perspectives and interactive workshops.
During his working visit to Pristina, the Director of the Agency and Deputy Chair of the EDPB, Zdravko Vukić, also held a working meeting with Commissioner Krenare Sogojeva and associates, at the headquarters of the Information and Privacy Agency of the Republic of Kosovo. This is a continuation of the successful cooperation between the Croatian and Kosovo Personal Data Protection Agencies, which was officially confirmed in May last year, by signing a Memorandum of Cooperation, with the aim of promoting European standards in the field of personal data protection.
