Special protection of data when declaring their national affiliation and introduction of registers within which data on the nationality of employees in public authorities are collected, are a necessary prerequisite for improving the protection and opening of constitutional rights of members of national minorities in Serbia. Article 77 the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia guarantees members of national minorities the right to participate in the management of public administration and establishes an obligation to take into account the representation of members of national minorities in accordance with the national structure of the population when hiring public authorities.
At the round table on the topic „Collecting data on the national affiliation of civil servants“, organized with the aim of connecting relevant actors in this area, as well as to contribute to the dialogue and raising awareness, numerous constructive proposals, and recommendations for improving these practices in Serbia were presented. Given that the declaration of national affiliation is free and voluntary, and these data enjoy special protection, the round table also discussed the protection of personal data as an important segment of collecting data on national affiliation.
Support to the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue in the organization of the round table was provided by the project „Facility Supporting Strengthening the Rule of Law in Serbia“, jointly funded by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ), implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, with expert support from the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI).