Due to the citizens' and media interests in the opinion and attitude of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection regarding the processing of personal data that is about to be carried out as part of the census starting on October 1 this year, the Commissioner, within the point of view of his scope regarding the application of the Law on the protection of personal data, indicates that the implementation of the census in 2022 is regulated by the Law on the Census of Population, Households, and Dwellings and that this law sets the legal basis for personal data processing of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia for the purpose of producing and publishing official data statistics.
We remind you that, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Official Statistics, official statistics means the provision of representative data and information on mass economic, demographic and social phenomena, and for the needs of the users of such data and information, which may be business entities and their associations, public authorities, bodies of autonomous provinces, bodies of local self-government units, cultural, educational and scientific institutions, as well as the general public, and that the Statistics Office of the Republic of Serbia is a state authority whose jurisdiction is determined by the Law on Ministries and refers to the performance of tasks related to the organization and implementation of statistical research, collection, processing, statistical analysis and publication of statistical data.
In this context, the personal data processing as part of the 2022 census of population, households, and dwellings is carried out in the public interest and represents a legal obligation of the Statistical Office of the RS, and for the Law on the Census of Population, Households, and Dwellings in 2022, the law itself is harmonized with the Law on personal data protection.
Bearing in mind the above, at the moment there are no current indications that the personal data processing within the upcoming population, household, and dwelling census is to be in conflict with the Law on Personal Data Protection. However, since irregularities related to personal data processing can never be completely ruled out in advance, we instruct all interested parties to contact the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, as the data handler, to obtain information about the census, and we invite all subjects who, after receiving the information, believe that the personal data processing is carried out contrary to the provisions of the Law on the Personal Data Protection, to notify the Commissioner thereof.
