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Research and Innovation

Privacy policy

PROTECTION OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA

This privacy statement provides information about the processing and the protection of your personal data.

Processing operation: Meetings and events organised in the framework of Support to the coordination of and synergies between the Green Deal Call projects

Data Controller: European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), unit C.5

Record reference: DPR-EC-01063

 Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Why and how do we process your personal data?
  3. On what legal ground(s) do we process your personal data?
  4. Which personal data do we collect and further process?
  5. How long do we keep your personal data?
  6. How do we protect and safeguard your personal data?
  7. Who has access to your personal dataand to whom is it disclosed?
  8. What are your rights and how can you exercise them?
  9. Contact information
  10. Where to find more detailed information?

 

1. Introduction

The European 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 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.

This Data Protection Notice (DPN) explains the reason for the processing of your personal data in the context of meetings and events organised in the framework of Support to the coordination of and synergies between the Green Deal Call projects (so called ‘Green Deal Call events’. It explains 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 operations linked to meetings and events, undertaken by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) of the European Commission, is presented below.

 

2. Why and how do we process your personal data?

Purpose of the processing operation: the Controller collects and further processes your personal data to provide you with information about the Green Deal Call events (before, during and after) and to process your application for participation in that meeting or event.

Your personal data will not be used for any automated decision-making including profiling.

Live web-streaming and audio-visual recording at the Green Deal Call events of the speakers, organisers and participants, as well as photographs of the speakers and panoramic photographs of participants and organisers will be taken and published in the context of that events. at the dedicated website of the project.

The audience or non-speaker participants are not photographed individually or in groups. They may however appear on panoramic photographs of the whole event/audience.

Participants that do not wish to be part of the above web-streaming and recording/publishing activities have the possibility to object to processing (for example, on the spot by indicating a non-web streamed seat if requested; or ex-post, by deleting a specific sequence from the online video/voice recording). If you do not wish your photo to be taken during the event, please notify us by email: RTD-GREEN-DEAL-CALL-COORDINATION@ec.europa.eu, so that we can make the necessary and appropriate arrangements during the meeting.

The data controller shall not be held accountable for any processing of personal data that you might carry out on your own initiative during or after the event. For instance, if you decide to take photographs/audio-visual recordings of participants of the event and/or publish them online, you assume full responsibility for these actions.

 

3. On what legal ground(s) do we process your personal data?

The processing operations on personal data, linked to the organisation, management, follow-up and promotion of the meetings or events (including web-streaming, photos, audio-visual recording) are necessary for the management and functioning of the Commission, as mandated by the Treaties.
Those provisions are in particular Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 15 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Consequently, those processing operations are lawful under Article 5(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 (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).

Your consent is required for:

  • The processing of your personal data for evaluation of your application/expression of interest to participate in the meeting/event;
  • The processing of your personal data relating to your dietary requirements and/or access requirements;
  • The sharing of the meeting or event participants list containing your name and affiliation with other participants in the context of networking activities;
  • The sharing of the meeting/event attendee list containing your name and affiliation among participants, in order to create working groups to continue the collaborate work launched during the meeting/event;
  • The processing of your personal data for generating the minutes of the event to be further circulated for participants for information purposes;
  • In case of physical event, producing identification badges, lists of participants, lists of delegates (including name, surname, organisation, country and contact email), contact databases, and other similar event-related materials;
  • Correspondence with participants, either by phone or email, when necessary;
  • Keeping participants updated and sharing relevant news about the project, and related activities;
  • Inviting participants to future event(s);
  • Engaging with participants in social media conversations, steering debate and reaching out to a wider public when appropriate.

If you opt-in, you are giving us your explicit consent under Article 5(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 to process your personal data for those specific purposes. You can give your consent via a clear affirmative act by ticking the box(es) on the online registration form.

Your consent for any of these services can be withdrawn at any time by sending an email to the contact point of the Controller indicated in Chapter 9.

 

4. Which personal data do we collect and further process?

The following personal data will be processed:

  • Identity (function/title, first name, last name, name of organisation, city, country);
  • Contact details ( e-mail address, telephone number);
  • Nationality, passport or identity card number and its date of issue and expiry date may be collected, so that the data subjects may obtain access to the premises where the meeting/event is held;
  • Financial information (such as a payment card number or bank account) may be collected for possible reimbursements;
  • Dietary requests or specific access requirements;
  • Image/picture and pen profile;
  • Social media handles.

 

5. How long do we keep your personal data?

The Data Controller only keeps your personal data for the time necessary to fulfil the purpose of collection or further processing.

For each of the categories of personal data that is processed, please find below the retention details and the reference to the relevant record of processing:

  • All personal data related to the organisation and management of the Green Deal Call events (this includes the information given during the registration, before, during or after the event) will be deleted one year after the last action in relation to the last event;
  • Sensitive personal data relating to dietary and/or access requirements will be deleted as soon as they are no longer necessary for the purpose for which they have been collected in the framework of the event, but no later than within 1 month after the end of the event;
  • Recordings from a web-streamed event will be kept for 2 years before being deleted. More information is available in the Record of Processing DPR-EC-00306 (Web-streaming of Commission events);
  • In case of audio-visual recording of the event, the recordings will be kept until the end of the contract with the Processor. More information is available in the Record of Processing DPR-EC-01937 (Audio-visual recording of meetings);
  • Personal data shared with the Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security of the European Commission for the participants to gain access to Commission buildings is kept for 6 months after the termination of the link between the data subject and the Commission. More information is available in the Record of Processing DPR-EC-00655 (Commission Physical Access Control System (PACS));
  • Personal data shared with the controller for future mailing purposes (e.g. for receiving newsletters or invitations to similar events) are processed in line with the Record of Processing DPR-EC-03928 (Management of subscriptions to receive information) and the specific privacy statement prepared by the organising Commission service);
  • Selected service providers for organisational purposes (such as caterers, travel agents or event management organisations) are contractually bound to process personal data on behalf of and in line with the instructions of the data controller, keep confidential any data they process and protect it from unauthorised access, use and retention.

 

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 on the servers of the European Commission (and of its contractors if contractors are engaged to assist the controller in the organisation and management of this meeting/event].

All processing operations are carried out pursuant to Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2017/46 of 10 January 2017 on the security of communication and information systems in the European Commission.

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 given processing operations.

The Commission’s contractors are bound by specific contractual clauses for any processing operations of your personal data on behalf of the Commission, and by the confidentiality obligations deriving from the General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’ - Regulation (EU) 2016/679).

 

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 other authorised Commission staff according to the “need to know” principle. Such staff abide by statutory, and when required, additional confidentiality agreements.

Where necessary, we may also share your information with service providers for the purposes of organising the meeting or event:

  • Ecorys Brussels / Ecorys Europe, N.V. Rue Belliard 12, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
  • Ricardo Energy & Environment Old Shoreham Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FG, UK

 

Third-party IT tools, including Social Media

We use third-party IT tools to inform about and promote the Green Deal Call events through widely used communication channels, including social media. For detailed information about the use of social media by the European Commission, see the Record of Processing DPR-EC-00073 (Social Media Use by the European Commission).

You may be able to watch our videos, which we also upload to our social media page(s) and follow links from our website to other relevant social media.

In order to protect your privacy, our use of third-party IT tools to connect to those services does not set cookies when our website pages are loaded on your computer (or other devices), nor are you immediately redirected to those social media or other websites. Only in the event that you click on a button or “play” on a video to watch it, a cookie of the social media company concerned will be installed on your device. If you do not click on any social media buttons or videos, no cookies will be installed on your device by third parties.

In order to view such third-party content on our websites, a message will alert you that you need to accept those third parties’ specific Terms and Conditions, including their cookie policies, over which the Commission has no control.

We recommend that users read the relevant privacy policies of the social media tools used. These explain each company’s policy of personal data collection and further processing, their use of data, users' rights and the ways in which users can protect their privacy when using those services.

The use of a third party IT tool does not in any way imply that the European Commission endorses them or their privacy policies. In the event that one or more third-party IT tools are occasionally unavailable, we accept no responsibility for lack of service due to their downtime.

 

International transfers

Please note that pursuant to Article 3(13) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 public authorities (e.g., Court of Auditors, EU Court of Justice) which may receive personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients. The further processing of those data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules according to the purposes of the processing. 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, your personal data and to rectify them in case your personal data are inaccurate or incomplete. Where applicable, you have the right to erase your personal data, to restrict the processing of your personal data, to object to the processing, and 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) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on grounds relating to your particular situation.

The data will ensure that the data subjects can exercise their right to object to processing whenever possible by the organisers of the meeting/event (for example, on the spot by indicating a non-web streamed seat if requested; or ex-post, by deleting a specific sequence from the online video/voice recording).

You have consented to provide your personal data to the data controller for the present processing operation. You can withdraw your consent at any time by notifying the data controller by sending an email to RTD-GREEN-DEAL-CALL-COORDINATION@ec.europa.eu. The withdrawal of your consent will not affect the lawfulness of the processing carried out before you have withdrawn the consent.

You have consented to provide your personal data to the data controller for the present processing operations. You can withdraw your consent at any time by notifying the data controller. The withdrawal of your consent 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: European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), Ecological and Social Transitions unit (RTD.C.5) at RTD-GREEN-DEAL-CALL-COORDINATION@ec.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 to find more detailed information?

The Commission Data Protection Officer (DPO) publishes the register of all processing operations on personal data by the European Commission, which have been documented and notified to him.

You may access the register via the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/dpo-register.
These specific processing operations have been included in the DPO’s public register with the following Record reference: DPR-EC-01063.