Privacy policy
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Introduction
Since 11 December 2018, the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions is governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018[1]. This Regulation follows the same principles and rules as those established in the General Data Protection Regulation[2].
We provide you with the information that follows based on Articles 15 and 16 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.
This website may contain links to other websites. The European Parliament is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of third party websites.
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Why do we collect, store and process your data and under what legal basis?
We collect and process your personal information in order to keep in touch with citizens who have voluntarily expressed their wish to be informed of or involved in the European Parliament’s daily work, leading to European Elections 2024.
Your personal information is treated in accordance with the conditions described in Article 5, Regulation (EU) 2018/1725. The tasks related to the European Parliament’s institutional information and communication campaign are carried out in the public interest and are based on the Strategic Execution Framework of the Secretariat-General of the European Parliament.
The European Parliament will process your personal data as necessary for the performance of the aforementioned tasks and only if you have unambiguously consented to the processing. Your personal data will be processed only to the extent necessary to fulfil the purposes for which they were transmitted.
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Who is responsible for the processing of your data? (Controller)
Your data is processed under the responsibility of the Directorate-General for Communication of the European Parliament.
The Data Protection officer of the European Parliament ensures that the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 are applied within the institution.
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is acting as an independent supervisory authority. The EDPS makes sure that all EU institutions and bodies respect people’s right to privacy when processing their personal data.
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What personal data do we collect?
We only collect information that we need to fulfil the purposes set out at collection, and you can update this information at any time.
We will collect information from you in the following ways:
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In person and/or over the phone
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When you register on our site
Below is the information we may, with your permission, collect from you:
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Name and Surname;
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Contact details (e.g. email address, place of residence, phone number, etc.);
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Language preference;
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Future communication preferences including subscription preferences and areas of interest in one or more of a number of subcategories subjects on which you decide to receive more information (optional);
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In case you would choose to register via Facebook or Twitter, your contact details via the chosen registration method may also be collected;
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The European Parliament also keeps track of the number of users recruited by other users through the platform for statistical and reporting purposes.
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The European Parliament also keeps track of the opening rates of emails sent for statistical and reporting purposes.
When online competitions are organised on social media through this platform, additional steps may be involved requiring the processing of additional personal data for travel arrangements, such those included in a passport (name, date of birth, date and place of departure and return, contact email, picture of the identity card or the passport).
Please note that according to an opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor, by collecting and processing the above data you may be subject to profiling in order to receive information pertinent to your interests.
Cookies and local storage
This website sets cookies solely in order to enable or enhance functions or improve the navigation experience for the user. The European Parliament uses AT internet to collect anonymised data for statistical purposes only. Under no circumstances does Parliament use cookies to collect, process, disseminate or record personal data. The users can easily change their cookie settings after their initial choice by clicking on the link ""Chance cookie preferences"" at the bottom of the page.
What do you do if you do not want cookies to be set on your computer?
Some people find the notion of information being stored on their computer or mobile device a little intrusive, in particular when that information is stored and used by a third party without their knowledge. If you prefer, it is possible to block some or all cookies, or even delete cookies which have already been set, but you should be aware that you might lose some functions. To do this, you need to alter your browser privacy settings.
Some third-party operators have developed tools for disabling data collection and use via their modules.
Third party cookies
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google Map may set cookies for sharing content on social networks or for producing access statistics. The presence, number and status of cookies may depend on how you use the platforms concerned before or while visiting Parliament's website. By accepting those third-party cookies you will be potentially targeted for advertising purposes.
You should ascertain what the relevant sites' policy is on social networking cookies by clicking on the relevant links. You can also update your cookie settings for this website any time by clicking on the link “Change cookie preferences” at the bottom of the page.
What is a cookie?
Most websites which you visit will use cookies in order to improve your user experience. They enable websites to «remember» you - either for the duration of your visit (using a «session cookie») or for repeat visits (using a «persistent cookie»).
Cookies can have a host of different functions. They let you navigate between pages efficiently, storing your preferences and generally improving your experience of a website. Cookies make the interaction between you and the website faster and easier. If a website does not use cookies, it will think you are a new visitor every time you move to a new page on the site – for example, when you close a menu and move to another page, it will not remember that you have closed the menu on the previous page, and it will display the next page with that page's menu open.
Some websites will also use cookies to enable them to target their advertising or marketing messages based, for example, on your location and/or browsing habits.
Cookies may be set by the website which you are visiting («first party cookies») or they may be set by other websites which run content on the page you are viewing («third party cookies»).
What is in a cookie?
A cookie is a simple text file stored on your computer or mobile device by a website’s server. That server will subsequently be able to retrieve or read the contents of that cookie. Cookies are managed by your browser. Each cookie is unique and contains some anonymous information such as a unique identifier, site name, digits and letters. It allows a website to remember your browsing preferences.
Types of cookie
First party cookies
First party cookies are set by the website which you are visiting, and they can only be read by that site.
Third party cookies
Third party cookies are set and used by a different organisation from the owner of the website which you are visiting. For example, to measure its audience a website might use a third-party analytics company, which will set its own cookie to perform that service. The website you are visiting may also have embedded content, e.g. YouTube videos or Flickr slideshows. Those sites may also set their own cookies.
More significantly, a website might use a third- party advertising network to deliver targeted advertising. Advertising services are not used by Parliament.
Session cookies
Session cookies are stored temporarily during a browsing session and are deleted from the user’s device when the browser is closed.
Persistent cookies
Persistent cookies are saved on your computer for a fixed period (usually a year or longer) and are not deleted when the browser is closed. They are used where we need to know who you are for more than one browsing session.
Flash cookies
Many websites use Adobe Flash Player to deliver video and infographics content to their users. Adobe uses its own cookies, which are not manageable through your browser settings. They are used by Flash Player for the same purposes served by other cookies, i.e. to store preferences or track users.
Flash cookies work differently from your web browser's cookies. Instead of having specific cookies for specific functions, a website is restricted to storing all site-related data in one cookie. You can control how much information can be stored in that cookie, but you cannot choose what type of information is allowed to be stored.
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To whom is your data disclosed?
Only the staff of the European Parliament and of the data processor have access to your data. The European Parliament does not transmit any data to parties which are outside these recipients. Only in case of audit or judicial procedures the Court of Auditors, the Court of Justice and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) would be involved. The European Parliament does not share personal data with third parties for direct marketing.
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For how long is your data kept?
The personal data will be stored for the purposes for which they were collected until the data subjects have requested their removal or until September 2024, which corresponds to the end of the European Elections period.
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How is your data stored?
The European Parliament is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
Your personal data are stored in secured servers with limited access, which are located in controlled facilities. For storage and maintenance purposes, the personal data may be transferred to the USA in accordance with Article 48 of the Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and under the EU-US Privacy Shield framework[3].
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What are your rights when we process your personal data?
When your personal information is processed by the European Parliament (or any EU institution), you have the right to know about it.
You have the right to access the information and have it rectified without undue delay if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, without this withdrawal affecting the lawfulness of the processing based on the consent you gave before withdrawal.
Under certain conditions, you have the right to ask that we delete your personal data or restrict its use.
Where applicable, you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time, and the right to data portability. We will consider your request, take a decision and communicate it to you without undue delay and in any event within one month of receiving the request. That period may be extended by two further months where necessary.
You can request that we communicate, when possible, any changes to your personal data to other parties to whom your data have been disclosed.
You have also the right not to be subject to automated decisions (made solely by machines) affecting you, as defined by law.
You have, in any case, the right to have recourse to the EDPS as a supervisory authority.
You rights on your personal data are stated in Articles 17 to 24 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.
In order to do that, you can contact the Web Communication unit. If the unit is not in a position to answer your request, they will request technical support from the data processor.
If you have concerns about the processing of your personal information via this platform, feel also free to contact the Directorate-General for Communication for the processing of these data:
Contact:
European Parliament
Directorate general for Communication
Rue Wiertz 60
B-1047 Brussels
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Recourse
Complaints can be addressed at any time:
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to the Data Protection Officer of the European Parliament
Contact by e-mail: [email protected]
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to the European Data Protection Supervisor.
Contact by email: [email protected]
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[1] Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC.
[2] Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.
[3] Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/1250 of 12 July 2016 pursuant to Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the adequacy of the protection provided by the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield