The European Services Forum (ESF) takes personal data protection very seriously to ensure compliance with the legal requirements set out in the Regulation 2016/679 on General Data Protection and Directive 2002/58/EC on e-Privacy.

In this privacy policy ESF (also hereafter ‘we’) provides a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle personal data.

Should you have any questions, complaints or queries with regards to how we use your information, we encourage you to contact us at esf@esf.be and we will do our best to answer/resolve it in the shortest possible time.

You can also get in touch with the Belgium Data Protection Authority (l’Autorité de protection des données) at commission@privacycommission.be.

1. Who is concerned by this privacy policy

This Privacy Notice mainly covers the collection and processing of personal data of members of ESF (current and old) and their staff, of contractual partners, of people who have expressed an interest in ESF and its activities (e.g. subscribers to newsletters or those registering to events we organise or co-organise), as well as people that ESF engages with, in the framework of its mission and activities.

2. Personal data we collect/process and how we use it

• If you are or become a member of ESF, we will collect information about you, namely your name, position, employer, work address, phone number (fixed and/or mobile); or any other data (e.g. personal mobile number or mailing address) that you provide to us voluntarily.

How do we use it:
– To allow ESF to organise its services to members (e.g. prepare Taskforce and Committees lists and meetings; information on membership and activities; information on political, economic and policy developments relevant for companies, including newsletters, etc.).

• If you are a person who contacted or has been contacted by ESF or its staff in the framework of its mission and activities (e.g. national, European, international or public servants; national or European parliamentarians and their assistants; interest representatives, etc.), we will collect the following data: name, position, email, address, and other relevant contact details.

How do we use it:
– Your data is processed as part of ESF activities aimed at fulfilling its mission to defend the interests of companies.

• Personal data from an organisation or a company having a contractual relationship with ESF (e.g. a supplier) in order to be able to fulfill the rights and obligations of that contractual relationship.

How do we use it:
– For the follow-up of the contract or to manage remarks or possible complaints within the contractual relationship.
– For the general management of customers and suppliers, including accounting, litigation and legal procedures, the recovery or transfer of receivables and the protection of our rights in general.

How do we use it:
– Your data is processed to track your registration and any comments or complaints in this context.

• We will also collect personal data for the purposes of organising activities and events. We keep a record of your participation in our events as an attendee or speaker. In order to provide you with information associated with the event and process your registration we will:

• Access your data in our database if you are a member;
• If you are not a member, collect your name, position, organisation and contact details that you voluntarily provided to us and store it in our database for the purposes of the event. With your consent we may use this information to tell you about other events and publications;
• Collect your name, position, organisation, bio, photo or other data when you are a speaker;
• Also, to record the answers or remarks related to our events that you attended in the context of satisfaction surveys or any complaints that you have addressed to us.

How do we use it:
– As follow-up of your registration and any comments and complaints in this context;
– General customer/attendant management, including accounting, litigation and legal proceedings, the recovery or transfer of receivables and the protection of our rights in general.
– For certain events, participants receive a simplified list of participants, giving the name, surname and organisation of the participants.

• If you have corresponded with us by any form of communication (e.g. email), we may maintain such correspondence.

How do we use it:
– To respond to you or to keep a record of our correspondence. 

• ESF may also receive information about you from third parties (e.g. outside partners).

How do we use it:
– We might use it to contact you for prospecting purposes, to correct your personal information, supplement or maintain it, or to establish a marketing profile.

• When you visit our website, ESF’s website use cookies that do not track users and serve the website’s normal functionality. For more information on the cookies we use please check our cookies policy here.

How do we use it:
– Your data is used to improve your browsing experience and to establish anonymous statistics regarding the quality of the website.

• Personal data relevant to human resources (staff and applicants) is covered by specific internal rules in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
• Your personal data may be used to comply with applicable regulations, to respond to requests or claims from public and government authorities, including public and government authorities outside your country of residence, or to protect our rights, privacy, safety or property, and/or our entities.
• ESF does NOT collect, process, store or use personal data from individuals aged less than 16 years.

3. Transmission of your data to third parties

ESF does not sell personal data.

In certain cases, your personal data can be transferred to a third party, namely:

• To sub-contractors in the framework of activities linked to the mission of ESF, for example with a view to organis an event; or
• To the competent authorities or any other legal entities to fulfil legal obligations or for purposes of law enforcement; or
• In case of a joint event, to the co-organiser or supporting partner; or
• If you consent to it.

4. How do we keep your data safe?

We take all measures necessary – organisational and technical – to make sure your data remains protected against data breaches (e.g. unauthorised access, alterations or disclosures; unlawful or accidental destruction or loss).

ESF staff is made aware of the importance of data protection and is trained to follow the appropriate steps to respect privacy, confidentiality and security of your personal data.

5. What happens in the case of a data breach?

In the case of a data breach we will use all technical and organisational means available to contain and eliminate the breach. We apply the latest technological standards (e.g. firewall, encryption, etc.) to make sure the risk of breaches is minimised.

If we become aware that such breach might imply a high risk to the rights and freedoms of persons involved, we will communicate the personal data breach to the people concerned as soon as possible via email or any other means available.

6. Third-party links on our website

This policy does not cover links within ESF website to other third-party websites. We are not responsible for the use of any personal information including without limitation cookies which you give directly to such third parties, or which they may collect about you while you visit pages hosted by them. Please refer to their respective privacy policies for information about your rights.

7. How long does ESF keep your personal data?

ESF keeps your data for as long as your relationship with ESF persists (e.g. if you are a member, a contractual party, etc.). This is without prejudice to specific limitation periods foreseen by law allowing to conserve personal data for longer periods of time.

8. What are your rights?

• You have the right to access your personal data;
• You have the right to rectify, complete or update your data if they are inaccurate;
• You may also request the transfer of your personal data to another entity;
• You have the right to request that we cease using your data for direct marketing purposes (e.g. subscription to newsletter or information on events);
• Subject to some exceptions, you may request us to erase your data, cease to process them or withdraw your consent. If you decide to do so you may no longer benefit from all our services;
• You can exercise these rights by contacting ESF at esf@esf.be. A proof of identity will be required.

You can lodge a complaint with the Belgium Data Protection Authority (l’Autorité de protection des données) at commission@privacycommission.be, if you feel that we have not acted in line with the applicable data protection legislation.

9. Update of this privacy policy

It might happen that we have to modify our privacy policy in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, for instance to comply with new legal requirements. Should any changes occur, they will be published on this website, without notice, together with the date of the change from which the change is made effective.