Data protection

• Information on data protection
  • What is data protection?
  • When does Eurofound process your personal data?
  • What types of personal data do we collect?
  • What is the purpose of the processing?
  • What are the legal bases for which we process your personal data?
  • Who has access to your personal data?
  • How long do we keep your data?
  • What are your rights when we process your personal data?
  • Complaint to the European Data Protection Supervisor
• Contacts
• Data protection notices

Information on data protection

What is data protection?

Data protection is a fundamental right, protected not only by national legislation, but also by European Union law. At Eurofound, we are responsible for the personal data that we collect and process.

When does Eurofound process your personal data?

Eurofound may process your personal data (also known as personal information) for a number of reasons, from dealing with public requests for information, staff matters, visitor information to the handling of complaints, or simply because you submit your data when using our website, among others.

Processing of your personal data is done in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 linked below.

• EUR-Lex: 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

What types of personal data do we collect?

The personal data collected can be classified into two types.

1. Mandatory personal data: This refers to the personal data necessary for the performance of the tasks carried out in the public interest that were conferred to the Agency or for compliance with a legal obligation to which the Agency is subject to. Some examples include your name, address, your CV when applying for a job or traineeship at the Agency, or when submitting a tender linked to a published procurement procedure.

• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2019/127 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions (Eurofound), and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75

2. Non-mandatory personal data: This refers to personal data processed based on consent only. Examples include your dietary and mobility requirements when attending an event organised by the Agency, or the acceptance of cookies.

• About us: Cookies

What is the purpose of the processing?

Eurofound may process your personal data for a variety of purposes, for example to carry out a selection and recruitment procedure, to send you the newsletter, to invite you to a meeting or to invite you to complete one of our surveys, among others.

All purposes of processing can be found:

• in our record of processing operations
  • Eurofound register: Controller records November 2021 (PDF) 
• below in our data protection notices

What are the legal bases for which we process your personal data?

The Agency collects and processes your personal data, primarily, in compliance with Article 5.1(a), (b) and (d) of the Regulation (EU) 2018/1725:

• 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
• for compliance with a legal obligation to which the Agency is subject to
• the processing is based on consent.

In very specific circumstances, another legal basis based on Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 might apply.

The processing of personal data by the Agency is not only governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, but also by specific legal instruments, such as implementing rules, and information is provided to you via a data protection notice.

Who has access to your personal data?

Unless otherwise stated in a specific data protection notice, access to your personal data will be given only to staff members of the Agency.

How long do we keep your data?

For each processing operation there is a defined retention period that specifies the period for which the personal data are kept. Depending on the processing operation the retention period can vary. The exact retention period is specified in the applicable data protection notice.

What are your rights when we process your personal data?

Within the limits foreseen in Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, you have the right to:

• know when your personal information is being processed
• have access to your personal data
• have your personal data rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete
• have your data deleted
• restrict the processing of your data
• object to the processing of your data
• port your data
• not be subject to automated decisions (made solely by machines) affecting you, as defined by law.

The exercise of all these rights is free. However, where requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive, Eurofound may refuse to act on the request. Should this be the case, Eurofound will inform you accordingly.

You can send your request to Eurofound by post in a sealed envelope or send us an email: see Contacts.

Your request should contain a detailed, accurate description of the personal data you want access to.

You must provide a copy of an identification document to confirm your identity, for example, an ID card or passport. The document should contain an identification number, country of issue, period of validity, your name, address and date of birth. Any other data contained in the copy of the identification document such as a photo or any personal characteristics, may be blacked out.

Our use of the information on your identification document is strictly limited: we will only use the data to verify your identity and will not store them for longer than needed for this purpose.

In principle, we will not accept that you use other means to give evidence of your identity. Should you wish to propose alternatives, we will assess their adequacy on a case-by-case basis.

Complaint to the European Data Protection Supervisor

You also have the right to recourse to the EDPS, our supervisory authority, should you feel that Eurofound has infringed provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 when processing your personal data.

• European Data Protection Supervisor: Complaints

Contacts

Data protection notices

The following specific data protection notices apply to the processing of personal data by Eurofound.