To protect your privacy and your personal data is essential for the European External Action Service (EEAS). Data Protection is a tool to ensure the protection of information that identifies you. It is one of the fundamental rights in the EU laid down also in the Charter of Fundamental Rights (Articles 7 and 8). This right is guaranteed to any individual including third parties, whose data the EEAS and the Union Delegations may process for an explicit purpose. All personal data are handled in accordance with pertinent EU legislative acts with regard to the processing of personal data. 

When collecting, processing and storing personal data, the EEAS and the Union Delegations have the obligation to keep records and document processes in order to demonstrate data protection compliance. It is also our responsibility to inform individuals, whose data we process, if personal data is kept and communicate the rights in relation to this process. In order to comply with this legal obligation we use Privacy Statements. These are data protection notices which provide information how we collect, handle and retain personal data.

Each statement contains information on the following:

• why the personal information is being processed and on what legal basis
• what type of data is collected
• who controls and processes the data
• how long the data is kept
• who the recipients of the data are, to whom it may be disclosed
• how the individuals can exercise their rights in this matter
• how to contact the Data Protection Officer and the European Data Protection Supervisor in case of recourse

In relation to the different purposes and types of data that we collect, process and keep, the EEAS Privacy Statements will provide the necessary information, for instance on Meeting and Events, Contact lists and of course how data is processed by the EEAS website.