Privacy Policy

Friends of Europe is a leading think tank that connects people, stimulates debate and triggers change to create a more inclusive, sustainable and forward-looking Europe. Friends of Europe values the protection and confidentiality of your personal data. Therefore, we comply with applicable data privacy legislation in regards to processing personal data.

This privacy policy statement is intended to inform you, in a transparent manner, about the data we collect, the purpose for collecting it, the way we use it and the rights you have regarding the processing of your data.

We collect and store information including:

• Personal information
• Information collected for tracking and customisation (cookies)
• Automatically collected information

Personal information

You may have the opportunity via our website or other means to provide us with personal information about you and your interests. This information may include, but is not limited to, your name, e-mail address and policy interests.

If you choose to share any personal data with us via our website or via e-mail, we may store it and use that information to assist you with any questions you may have. We may also store data that you voluntarily provide during Friends of Europe’s events in order to keep you informed of other events of a similar nature.

We collect your personal data (title, first name, last name, emails, phone number) so that we are able to send you newsletters, reports, articles and event invitations that are most relevant to you. We provide users the opportunity to unsubscribe from our mailing lists through an “unsubscribe” button which is available at the bottom of any e-mails. You may choose to receive only specific communications or none at all through a special online form “Manage my subscriptions and preferences” which is also available at the bottom of our e-mail communications.
Friends of Europe will not sell, rent, loan, trade, or lease any personal information collected online or offline. All information shall be kept absolutely confidential unless given consent to by the user.

Please note that the events’ privacy notice provides you with detailed information about the personal information we collect when you register for and/or attend an event run by Friends of Europe.

Information collected for tracking and customisation (Cookies)

You may visit our website anonymously. Except as described in this privacy statement, we do not collect identification data of our visitors.

We do, however, use cookies (small computer files that stay on your computer and let us know when and how often you visit our website) to keep and track general information about website usage. Cookies do not identify the individual user, just the computer used.

Cookies and other similar technology can make it easier for you to use the website during future visits. Cookies only record which areas of the website have been visited by the computer in question, and for how long. This information allows Friends of Europe to understand how our website is being used so we can assess how well it is working and to help us make decisions about how to improve it.

Allowing us to create a cookie does not give us access to the rest of your computer and we will not use cookies to track your online activity once you leave our website. Cookies are read only by the server that placed them, and are unable to execute any code or virus.

There are two types of cookies, session and persistent. Session cookies last only as long as your web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie disappears. Persistent cookies store information on your computer for longer periods of time. Friends of Europe uses session and persistent cookies. However, at no time is your Personal Information, whether stored in persistent cookies or elsewhere, shared with third parties who have no right to that information.

If you do not wish to have cookies stored on your computer you can easily change your web browser to refuse them, or to let you know when you get a new cookie. Please refer to your browser instructions to learn more about these functions. Refusing cookies, however, can restrict your use of website. To enjoy the website to the full we recommend you leave cookies switched on.

Use of cookies statement

Friends of Europe’s website uses cookies and similar technologies to help the website function properly, improve the user experience and understand how visitors use our online services.

This statement explains what cookies are, how Friends of Europe uses them and how you can manage your cookie preferences.

You can restrict, block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to change these settings through the “options”, “settings” or “preferences” menu. Further information about cookies is available at www.allaboutcookies.org and www.aboutcookies.org.

Please note that disabling some cookies may affect the functionality of the website and may prevent certain features from working properly.

1. What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are downloaded to your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device during your visit or when you return later.

Cookies are widely used to help websites work efficiently, remember user preferences, support secure access and provide information to website owners about how their sites are used.

2. How does Friends of Europe use cookies?

Friends of Europe may use cookies for the following purposes:

• to support the proper functioning and security of the website;
• to help users navigate the website and access relevant features;
• to collect statistical information on website use, so that we can monitor and improve performance;
• to understand how visitors engage with our content;
• to support the sharing of website content through social media platforms; and
• to display or embed third-party content, such as videos or social media features.

3. Types of cookies and similar technologies

Friends of Europe may use different types of cookies, including:

Essential cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot usually be switched off. They may be used for security, accessibility, page navigation or access to protected areas of the website.

Analytics cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors use the website, for example which pages are visited most often and whether users experience errors. This information helps us improve the website and its content.

Functionality cookies
These cookies allow the website to remember choices made by users, such as preferences or settings, to provide a more personalised experience.

Third-party cookies
Some cookies may be set by external services used on our website, such as embedded videos, social media platforms or analytics providers. These third parties may process information in line with their own privacy and cookie policies.

Pixel tags and similar technologies
Friends of Europe may also use pixel tags or similar technologies to understand engagement with our website, newsletters or online campaigns. These technologies help measure the effectiveness of our communications and online content.

4. Managing cookies

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. You may also be able to adjust your preferences through any cookie banner or preference tool available on the Friends of Europe website.

Blocking or deleting cookies may affect how the website works and may limit access to some interactive features.

5. Definitions

First-party cookies
Cookies set directly by the website you are visiting.

Third-party cookies
Cookies set by a domain other than the website you are visiting, for example by an external service embedded on the website.

Persistent cookies
Cookies that remain on your device for a set period of time and are activated each time you visit the website that created them.

Session cookies
Temporary cookies that are deleted when you close your browser.

Pixel tags
Small pieces of code used to track activity on a website, in an email or through online content. They are often used together with cookies and help measure engagement or performance.

Automatically collected information

We collect and store certain technical information about your visit for use in website management and security purposes. This information includes: The Internet domain from which you access our website (for example, “xcompany.com” if you use a private Internet access account, or “yourschool.edu” if you connect from an educational domain); The IP address (a unique number for each computer connected to the Internet) from which you access our website; The type of browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Chrome) used to access our site; The operating system (e.g. Windows) used to access our site; The date and time you access our site; The URLs of the pages you visit; Your username, if it was used to log in to the website; and If you visited this website from another website, the URL of the forwarding site.

This information is used to help us make our website more useful for you. With this data we learn about the number of visitors to our website and the types of technology our visitors use. Except for authorised law enforcement investigations, no attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. Raw data logs are retained temporarily as required for security and website management purposes only.

How we use personal data we collect

We use the personal data you provide:

• To keep you informed of any developments linked to our services and/or programmes
• To respond to any enquiries you may make
• To evaluate and improve our website
• To comply with applicable legal requirements and industry standards
• To perform auditing, research and analysis in order to maintain, protect and improve our services

We keep your personal data for the time necessary to accomplish these objectives. Once these goals are achieved we delete the data.

Exercising your rights

Access and rectification
You may exercise your right to access and rectify any of your personal data at any time. You can request this by contacting Friends of Europe by email at privacy@friendsofeurope.org or in writing at Friends of Europe, Square de Meeûs 5-6, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.

Erasure
You may at any time exercise your right to data deletion in accordance with data protection regulations, by sending a request by email at privacy@friendsofeurope.org or in writing at Friends of Europe, Square de Meeûs 5-6, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

Objection
When visiting the website you will be requested to consent to certain data processing activities. You have the right to withdraw your consent at all times. Please send your objection, by email at privacy@friendsofeurope.org or in writing at Friends of Europe, Square de Meeûs 5-6, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. Such withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of past data processing and it can, however, impact your continued use of the website.

At any point, should you deem that any of your rights have not been respected. You may also lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority (see https://www.dataprotectionauthority.be/).

Security

Security for all personal data is important to us. We store your personal data securely, and use procedures designed to protect the information we collect from loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure, alteration or destruction.

Links

Throughout our web pages, we provide links to other servers and websites which may contain information of interest to our readers. We take no responsibility (and shall have no liability) for, and exercise no control over, the organisations, views, or accuracy of the information contained on other servers and/or websites. Creating a text link from your website to our website does not require permission. If you have a link you’d like us to consider adding to our website, please send an email to info@friendsofeurope.org with the subject “Link request.”

Legal disclaimer

Though we take industry standard measures and other efforts to preserve user privacy, Friends of Europe may need to disclose personal information (including personally identifiable information) when required by law wherein we have a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a current judicial proceeding, a court order or legal process, and/or in connection with a verified request relating to criminal investigation or alleged illegal activity.

Updates to our privacy policy

We will revise or update this policy if our practices change, or as we develop better ways to keep you informed about them. Please refer to this page for the latest information and the effective date of any changes. If we decide to change this policy, we will post a new policy on our website and change the date at the bottom. Changes to the policy shall not apply retroactively.

Contact us

The controller of your personal data, under applicable data privacy legislation and in regard to the processing of personal information, is:
Friends of Europe
Square de Meeûs 5-6
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Email: privacy@friendsofeurope.org

If you have questions about our privacy practices, you may contact us at the above address or by e-mailing privacy@friendsofeurope.org.