The information on this site is subject to a disclaimer, a copyright notice and rules on both personal data protection and the use of the EU emblem by third parties.

Disclaimer

The European Commission maintains this website to enhance public access to information about its initiatives and European Union policies in general. Our goal is to keep this information timely and accurate. If errors are brought to our attention, we will try to correct them.
However the Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to the information on this site.

This information is:

• of a general nature only and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity;
• not necessarily comprehensive, complete, accurate or up to date;
• sometimes linked to external sites over which the Commission services have no control and for which the Commission assumes no responsibility;
• not professional or legal advice (if you need specific advice, you should always consult a suitably qualified professional).

Please note that it cannot be guaranteed that a document available on-line exactly reproduces an officially adopted text. Only the Official Journal of the European Union (its printed edition, or since 1 July 2013 its electronic edition made available on the EUR-Lex website), is authentic and produces legal effects.

It is our goal to minimize disruption caused by technical errors. However some data or information on our site may have been created or structured in files or formats that are not error-free and we cannot guarantee that our service will not be interrupted or otherwise affected by such problems. The Commission accepts no responsibility with regard to such problems incurred as a result of using this site or any linked external sites.

This disclaimer is not intended to limit the liability of the Commission in contravention of any requirements laid down in applicable national law nor to exclude its liability for matters which may not be excluded under that law.

Copyright notice

© European Union, 1995-2015
Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, save where otherwise stated.
Where prior permission must be obtained for the reproduction or use of textual and multimedia information (sound, images, software, etc.), such permission shall cancel the above-mentioned general permission and shall clearly indicate any restrictions on use.

Personal Data Protection

The European Union is committed to user privacy.
The policy on "protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions" is based on Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 [234KB] of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000.
This general policy covers the European Union's family of institutional Web Sites, within the eu domain.
Although you can browse through most of these Web Sites without giving any information about yourself, in some cases, personal information is required in order to provide the e-services you request.
Web Sites that require such information treat it according to the policy described in the Regulation mentioned above and provide information about the use of your data in their specific privacy policy statements.

In this respect:

• For each specific e-service, a controller determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data and ensures conformity of the specific e-service with the privacy policy;
• Within each Institution, a Data Protection Officer ensures that the provisions of the Regulation are applied and advises controllers on fulfilling their obligations (see art. 24 of the Regulation);
• For all the Institutions, the European Data Protection Supervisor [98KB] will act as an independent supervisory authority (see art. 41 to 45 of the Regulation).

The European Union's family of institutional Web Sites, within the eu domain, provides links to third party sites. Since we do not control them, we encourage you to review their privacy policies.

What is an e-service?
An e-service on EUROPA is a service or resource made available on the Internet in order to improve the communication between citizens and businesses on the one hand and the European Institutions on the other hand.

Three types of e-services are or will be offered by EUROPA:

1. Information services that provide citizens, media, business, administrations and other decision makers with easy and effective access to information, thus increasing transparency and understanding of the policies and activities of the EU;
2. Interactive communication services that allow better contacts with citizens, business, civil society and public actors thus facilitating policy consultations, and feedback mechanisms, in order to contribute to the shaping of policies, the activities and the services of the EU;
3. Transaction services that allow access to all basic forms of transactions with the EU, e.g. procurement, financial operations, recruitment, event enrolment, acquisition or purchase of documents etc.

Information contained in a specific privacy statement.
A specific privacy policy statement will contain the following information about the use of your data:

• What information is collected, for what purpose and through which technical means the EU collects personal information exclusively to the extent necessary to fulfil a specific purpose. The information will not be re-used for an incompatible purpose;
• To whom your information is disclosed. The EU will only disclose information to third parties if that is necessary for the fulfilment of the purpose(s) identified above and to the mentioned (categories of) recipients. The EU will not divulge your personal data for direct marketing purposes;
• How you can access your information, verify its accuracy and, if necessary, correct it. As a data subject you also have the right to object to the processing of your personal data on legitimate compelling grounds except when it is collected in order to comply with a legal obligation, or is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party, or is to be used for a purpose for which you have given your unambiguous consent;
• How long your data is kept. The EU only keeps the data for the time necessary to fulfil the purpose of collection or further processing;
• What are the security measures taken to safeguard your information against possible misuse or unauthorised access;
• Whom to contact if you have queries or complaints.

How do we treat e-mails you send us?

Many web pages on Europa have a "Contact" button, which activates your e-mail software and invites you to send your comments to a specific functional mailbox.

When you send such a message, your personal data is collected only to the extent necessary to reply. If the management team of the mailbox is unable to answer your question, it will forward your e-mail to another service. You will be informed, via e-mail, about which service your question has been forwarded to. 

If you have any questions about the processing of your e-mail and related personal data, do not hesitate to include them in your message.

Use of the EU emblem by third parties

The principles of use of the European Emblem by third parties have been set out in an administrative agreement with the Council of Europe.
This agreement has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 08/09/2012 (2012/C 271/04).

According to this agreement, any natural or legal person ("third party user") may use the European Emblem or any of its elements, as long as this use

(a) does not create the impression or assumption that there is a connection between the third party user and any of the institutions, bodies, offices, agencies and organs of the European Union or the Council of Europe where this connection does not exist;

(b) does not lead the public to believe that the user benefits from the support, sponsorship, approval or consent of any of the institutions, bodies, offices, agencies and organs of the European Union or the Council of Europe where this is not the case;

(c) is not made in connection with any objective or activity which is incompatible with the aims and principles of the European Union or the Council of Europe, or is otherwise unlawful.

If the use of the European Emblem complies with the above conditions, there is no need to ask for written permission.

Registration of the European Emblem, or a heraldic imitation thereof, as a trade mark or as any other IP right is not acceptable.

Questions related to use of the European Emblem can be directed to:

European Commission
Joint Research Centre, Directorate A.4 — Central IP Service
GUIM 5/20
B-1049 Brussels (Belgium)

E-mail: EC-EU-EMBLEM@ec.europa.eu