PROTECTION OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
This privacy statement provides information about
the processing and the protection of your personal data.
Processing operation: Treatment of data subjects' requests concerning the Publications Office’s websites and publications
Data Controller: Publications Office unit 01, "Strategy, governance and internal control"
Record reference: DPR-EC-00295
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Why and how do we process your personal data?
- On what legal ground(s) do we process your personal data?
- Which personal data do we collect and further process?
- How long do we keep your personal data?
- How do we protect and safeguard your personal data?
- Who has access to your personal data and to whom is it disclosed?
- What are your rights and how can you exercise them?
- Contact information
- Where do you find more detailed information?
1. Introduction
The European Commission (hereafter ‘the Commission’) is committed to protect your personal data and to respect your privacy. The Commission collects and further processes personal data pursuant to 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 (repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001).
This privacy statement explains the reason for the processing of your personal data, the way we collect, handle and ensure protection of all personal data provided, how that information is used and what rights you have in relation to your personal data. It also specifies the contact details of the responsible Data Controller with whom you may exercise your rights, the Data Protection Officer and the European Data Protection Supervisor.
The information in relation to processing operation "Treatment of data subjects' requests concerning the Publications Office’s websites and publications" undertaken by unit 01, "Strategy, governance and internal control" of the Publications Office of the European Union is presented below.
2. Why do we collect, store and process your data?
Purpose of the processing operation: Unit 01, "Strategy, governance and internal control" of the Publications Office collects and uses your personal information to process any data subject's request that you may address either directly or indirectly to the Publications Office.
Your data will be used for consulting with the relevant internal and/or external services in order to implement your request. Your data will not be used for an automated decision-making, including profiling.
3. On what legal ground(s) do we process your personal data
We process your personal data, because:
- processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the Union institution or body;
- processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject, i.e. allowing you as data subject to exercise your rights;
and
- by sending your request, you as the data subject have given consent to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of its implementation.
Additional legal basis for the processing: mandate of the Publications Office, Decision 2009/496/EC, Euratom of the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 26 June 2009 on the organisation and operation of the Publications Office of the European Union.
4. Which personal data do we collect and further process
In order to carry out this processing operation unit 01, "Strategy, governance and internal control" of the Publications Office collects any data that you provide us with and which is subject to your request. This is typically:
- E-mail address
- Name and first name
In addition, any further personal data that may be contained in the publication or web page.
5. How long do we keep your personal data?
Unit 01, "Strategy, governance and internal control" of the Publications Office only keeps your personal data for the time necessary to fulfil the purpose of collection or further processing, namely for implementing your request. After this, your personal data is kept for 5 years in case of any further questions verifications. Your data is used in an anonymised way for compiling statistics.
6. How do we protect and safeguard your personal data?
All personal data in electronic format (e-mails, documents, databases, uploaded batches of data, etc.) are stored either on the servers of the European Commission or of its contractors. All processing operations are carried out pursuant to the Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2017/46 of 10 January 2017 on the security of communication and information systems in the European Commission.
The Commission’s contractors are bound by a specific contractual clause for any processing operations of your data on behalf of the Commission, and by the confidentiality obligations deriving from the General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’ Regulation (EU) 2016/679).
In order to protect your personal data, the Commission has put in place a number of technical and organisational measures. Technical measures include appropriate actions to address online security, risk of data loss, alteration of data or unauthorised access, taking into consideration the risk presented by the processing and the nature of the personal data being processed. Organisational measures include restricting access to the personal data solely to authorised persons with a legitimate need to know for the purposes of this processing operation.
7. Who has access to your personal data and to whom is it disclosed?
Access to your personal data is provided to the Commission staff responsible for carrying out this processing operation and to authorised staff according to the “need to know” principle. Such staff abide by statutory, and when required, additional confidentiality agreements.
In exceptional cases the anonymization of your personal data may involve a contractor.
The information we collect will not be given to any third party, except to the extent and for the purpose we may be required to do so by law.
8. What are your rights and how can you exercise them?
You have specific rights as a ‘data subject’ under Chapter III (Articles 14-25) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, in particular the right to access, rectify or erase your personal data and the right to restrict the processing of your personal data. Where applicable, you also have the right to object to the processing or the right to data portability.
You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, which is lawfully carried out pursuant to Article 5(1)(a).
By sending your request you have consented to provide your personal data to unit 01, "Strategy, governance and internal control" of the Publications Office for the present processing operation. You can withdraw your consent at any time by notifying the Data Controller. The withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of the processing carried out before you have withdrawn the consent.
You can exercise your rights by contacting the Data Controller, or in case of conflict the Data Protection Officer. If necessary, you can also address the European Data Protection Supervisor. Their contact information is given under Heading 9 below.
Where you wish to exercise your rights in the context of one or several specific processing operations, please provide their description (i.e. their Record reference(s) as specified under Heading 10 below) in your request.
9. Contact information
-The Data Controller
If you would like to exercise your rights under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, or if you have comments, questions or concerns, or if you would like to submit a complaint regarding the collection and use of your personal data, please feel free to contact the Data Controller, unit 01, "Strategy, governance and internal control" of the Publications Office, info@publications.europa.eu.
-The Data Protection Officer (DPO) of the Commission
You may contact the Data Protection Officer (DATA-PROTECTION-OFFICER@ec.europa.eu) with regard to issues related to the processing of your personal data under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.
-The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)
You have the right to have recourse (i.e. you can lodge a complaint) to the European Data Protection Supervisor (edps@edps.europa.eu) if you consider that your rights under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 have been infringed as a result of the processing of your personal data by the Data Controller.
10. Where do you find more detailed information?
The Commission Data Protection Officer (DPO) publishes the register of all processing operations on personal data by the Commission, which have been documented and notified to him. You may access the register via the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/dpo-register.
This specific processing operation has been included in the DPO’s public register with the following Record reference: DPR-EC-00295.