PERSONALO PATIKIMUMO PATIKROS TOBULINIMAS – NACIONALINIŲ IR EUROPOS SĄJUNGOS TEISĖS AKTŲ HARMONIZAVIMO KELIU

Abstract

Since 1 January 2022, the new Law on the Prevention of Corruption of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter – the Law on the Prevention of Corruption) entered into force, which obliged the public sector to be even more responsible for ensuring transparent activities and applying anti-corruption measures. In addition, ensuring national security is an integral part of the implementation of the provisions of the mentioned law. However, it is obvious that there is a lack of a unified approach to the need to review and harmonize the provisions of both laws: the Law on the Prevention of Corruption and the Law on the Protection of Important Objects for Ensuring National Security of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter – the Law on the Protection of Important Objects for Ensuring National Security), which are united by certain concepts and procedures.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate legal regulation of the features of the personnel reliability check in the implementation of the Law on the Prevention of Corruption and The Law on the Protection of Important Objects for Ensuring National Security. In realizing the research goal, three main tasks were set:

1. To define and harmonize the concept of ensuring the reliability of personnel when comparing the provisions governing the reliability of the personnel of the laws mentioned above.

2. To evaluate the deadlines for submitting information about the inspected person established by provisions of mentioned laws.

3. To assess whether the personal data protection provisions applied in the personnel reliability verification procedures regulating the mentioned laws comply with the GDPR.

When evaluating the provisions of both legal acts, the personnel reliability check was analysed in two main dimensions: firstly, the harmonization of concepts established in different legal acts; secondly, the terms during which information about the verified candidate is provided. During the research, it was identified that the provisions of the laws are not harmonized in themselves: different concepts are used to define the personnel reliability check (personnel due diligence), and the terms of the reliability check are not balanced. Furthermore, the provisions of the Law on the Protection of Important Objects for Ensuring National Security must be amended by refusing to collect consent from individuals, stating that the person must be informed about their verification, which is carried out in accordance with the legal obligation applicable to the Data Controller, which should be provided for in the law mentioned above.

Therefore, proposals for improving the provisions of the law are presented. After conducting a comparative assessment of the content of the personnel reliability check, the synchronization of relevant concepts provided for in the aforementioned laws is proposed. Secondly, when evaluating the different deadlines for submitting information about the verified candidate, it is suggested to balance them in order to make it possible to make the final decision on the candidate’s employment more efficiently. Thirdly, when comparing the targeted provisions of the above-mentioned laws regulating the protection of personal data, the established justification of the different regulations is missing. Therefore, suggestions are made on how to harmonize the provisions for ensuring the protection of personal data in the laws mentioned above, so that they meet the requirements of the GDPR – the candidate’s consent to verification should not be taken, but the obligation to perform such a verification must be established, thus ensuring the supremacy of the universal good.