Privacy Policy

Data protection

Data protection is a particularly high priority for the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne. It is generally possible to use the website of Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne without providing any personal data. However, if a data subject wishes to use special services via our website, it may be necessary to process personal data. If the processing of personal data is necessary and there is no legal basis for such processing, we generally obtain the consent of the data subject.

When you visit our website, information about your access (date, time, page viewed) may be stored on our server. Personal data (e.g. name, address, email address) is not evaluated. Where personal data is collected, this is done – as far as possible – only with the prior consent of the website user. The data is not passed on to third parties without the express consent of the user. We expressly point out that data transmission over the Internet (e.g. when communicating by email) has security gaps and cannot be completely protected against access by third parties. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is therefore not possible. We cannot accept any liability for damage resulting from such security gaps.
The use of all published contact data by third parties for advertising purposes is expressly prohibited. We reserve the right to take legal action in the event of unsolicited advertising information being sent, e.g. via spam emails.

I. Responsible body

The responsible body within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation, other data protection laws applicable in the Member States of the European Union and other provisions of a data protection nature is:
Cologne Government Regional Office
represented by the President of the Cologne Government Regional Office
Dr Thomas Wilk
Department 45 – Vocational Colleges
Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne for
Economic Affairs and Vocational Training
50606 Cologne
Germany

II. Administrative contact

Thorsten Noelle
Cologne Government Regional Office –
Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne
50667 Cologne
Tel.: (49) 221-147 2388
Send email

III. Processing of personal data

The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne processes personal data in the course of fulfilling its public duties as part of an authority of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The protection of your personal data is a priority.

• 1. Where can you obtain specific information?
  Which of your personal data is processed in detail, on what legal basis and under what conditions, in what manner and for what purposes, and to whom it may be transferred, depends largely on the administrative task or requested service associated with the data processing and is explained in more detail on this homepage on the sub-site of the respective project or upon request.
• 2. Data sources
  The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne, as part of the Cologne Government Regional Office, processes personal data that it receives from you in the course of performing the administrative tasks assigned to it. In addition, it processes personal data that it has lawfully received from other authorities or other third parties, insofar as this is necessary for the provision of its services. Relevant personal data includes, for example, personal details (name, address and other contact details, date and place of birth, and nationality), as well as data that proves your identity (e.g. ID card details).
• 3. Legal basis for processing
  As part of the Cologne Government Regional Office, the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne, as a public body, complies with the general data protection provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act for North Rhine-Westphalia (DSG NRW), as well as the provisions of the applicable specialised laws in their current versions. Under certain circumstances, the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne may also commission someone outside the Cologne Government Regional Office to provide services for the processing of personal data. In this case, the Cologne Government Regional Office ensures that these service providers also comply with data protection regulations. The collection of personal data and its further processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 and Art. 9 GDPR and Sections 3 and 16 DSG NRW. Processing is carried out on the basis of legal requirements (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR) or in the overriding public interest for the performance of the tasks of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne (Art. 6(1)(e) GDPR). In addition, processing may also be carried out to fulfil contractual obligations of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) or after weighing up interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). An example of the latter option is the processing of personal data in the context of permissible video surveillance. If processing would not be lawful for any of these reasons, it will only take place with your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne usually collects personal data for the purpose of performing public tasks, meaning that personal data is collected on the basis of a law, regulation or decree. The relevant department will inform you about the specific purposes of collection and the specific legal basis for collection.
• 4. Change of purpose
  The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne generally processes your personal data only for the purpose for which it was collected. Your data will also only be passed on to the competent authorities within the scope of this purpose. If your personal data is processed for a purpose other than that for which it was collected, this constitutes a change of purpose. Such a change of purpose is only permissible if it is provided for by law or if you have given your consent. You will always be informed of any change of purpose.
• 5. Recipients of personal data
  The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne, as part of the Cologne Government Regional Office, may only pass on your personal data if this is provided for by law (Section 8 DSG NRW) or if you have given your consent. Within the authority, your data will be received by those departments that need it to fulfill their legal obligations. Processors employed by the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne (Art. 28 GDPR) may also receive data for these purposes. These include companies in the categories of IT services, printing services and telecommunications. In addition, depending on the area of responsibility and the reason for data collection, other authorities may also be recipients of your data within the scope of their legal duties. Objectors may object to the disclosure of their personal data with comprehensible justification. This presupposes that, in individual cases, there is a personal interest in the confidentiality of personal data that goes beyond the interests of the project developer. A simple, non-verifiable statement that the transfer of personal data is objected to is not sufficient to enable the necessary weighing of interests to be carried out and, if necessary, to refrain from transferring personal data. Data is not usually transferred to third countries (countries outside the EU). If this is necessary in the context of fulfilling the tasks of the Cologne Government Regional Office, it is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the GDPR. However, this only applies if it is required by law for the performance of public tasks or if you have given your consent. You will be informed separately about the details if required by law.
• 6. Storage period and deletion deadlines
  The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne, as part of the Cologne Government Regional Office, processes and stores your personal data for the necessary or legally prescribed period. Data that is no longer required for the purpose of processing is deleted immediately, unless further storage is required by law. The Cologne Government Regional Office is subject to various storage and documentation obligations arising from legal requirements. The documentation and retention periods specified therein may prohibit deletion for varying periods of time. In addition, the storage period is also assessed in accordance with the statutory retention and limitation periods, for example in accordance with Sections 195 et seq. of the German Civil Code (BGB). These can generally be 3 years, but in certain cases can also be up to thirty years.
• 7. Your rights
  Every data subject has
  • the right to withdraw their declared consent with effect for the future
  • the right to information in accordance with Art. 15 GDPR,
  • the right to rectification in accordance with Art. 16 GDPR,
  • the right to erasure in accordance with Art. 17 GDPR,
  • the right to restriction of processing in accordance with Art. 18 GDPR, and
  • the right to object to processing in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR.
  In addition, you may have
  • the right to data portability under Article 20 GDPR and
  the right to proper and transparent processing (including information on this) in the case of automated decision-making (Article 22 GDPR) as well as
  • the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority (Article 77 GDPR).
  Restrictions on the rights of the data subject under the GDPR may arise, depending on the circumstances, in particular from Sections 11 to 14 of the DSG NRW.
  • a) Right to withdraw consent
    Insofar as your consent to the processing of your personal data is sufficient, the processing for the purposes covered by the consent is lawful. However, you have the right to withdraw your consent given to the Cologne office at any time. The withdrawal must be addressed to the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne. Please refer to the contact details of the controller above. This also applies to declarations of consent that you submitted to the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne before the GDPR came into force, i.e. before 25 May 2018. The withdrawal only applies to the future. Processing based on your consent that was given before your withdrawal was received by the Cologne Government Regional Office is not affected. It remains lawful.
  • b) Right to information
    You have the right to request confirmation from the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne as to whether personal data concerning you is being processed; if this is the case, you have the right to be informed about this personal data and to the information specified in detail in Art. 15 GDPR.
  • c) Right to rectification
    You have the right to request that the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne immediately rectifies any inaccurate personal data concerning you and, where applicable, complete any incomplete personal data (Article 16 GDPR).
  • d) Right to erasure
    You have the right to request that the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne erases personal data concerning you without delay if one of the reasons listed in detail in Art. 17 GDPR applies, e.g. if the data is no longer required for the purposes for which it was processed. However, this only applies if the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne is not obliged to retain your data further.
  • e) Right to restriction of processing
    You have the right to request that the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne restrict processing if one of the conditions listed in Art. 18 GDPR applies, e.g. if you have lodged a significant objection to the processing. The right to restriction of processing applies for the duration of the review by the responsible body.
  • f) Right to object
    You have the right to object to the processing of personal data concerning you at any time for reasons arising from your particular situation. The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne will then no longer process your personal data, but only if the objection is significant. This is not the case if the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms as the data subject, or if the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims.
  • g) Right to data portability
    You have the right to request that the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne, if the conditions of Art. 20 GDPR are met and automated processing is used, make available and directly transfer the data concerning you in a common, structured and machine-readable format so that it can be passed on to another processing body (right to data portability). In addition, in the case of automated decision-making, you have the right to proper and transparent processing (including the provision of information in this regard) under the conditions of Art. 22 GDPR.
  • h) Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
    As a data subject, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, if you consider that the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne, as part of the Cologne Government Regional Office, is processing your personal data in breach of the GDPR (Art. 77 GDPR in conjunction with § 29 DSG NRW). You can exercise this right with a supervisory authority in the Member State of your place of residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the competent supervisory authority is the
    State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
    North Rhine-Westphalia
    Postfach 20 04 44
    40102 Düsseldorf
    Phone: 0211/38424-0
    Fax: 0211/38424-10
    Email: poststelle@ldi.nrw.de
    www.ldi.nrw.de

IV. Collection and processing of personal data on the website of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne

• 1) Collection and storage
  When you access this website, your data is stored and processed in a log file for the duration of the communication process. This includes the following data:
  • IP address
  • Time of access
  • Which file was accessed
  • The status code of the request (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP-Statuscode)
  • Which page the visitor came from (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referrer)
  • The visitor's user agent (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Agent)
  • Any errors in the programming of the page are displayed
  The data is used to ensure the secure and efficient operation of the platform. These log files are used, for example, to feed security mechanisms that repel attacks on the platform. In the event of an error, this information helps to investigate the cause. In the Homepage Designer, the data is used to provide anonymised access statistics. As this data is not stored for statistical purposes and is deleted after 7 days, its storage is GDPR-compliant.
• 2) Processing
  The data collected automatically when you visit the websites of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne, as part of the Cologne Government Regional Office, or the personal data you enter when using services, is processed in accordance with the current legal provisions for the protection of personal data. In general, it is possible to use the website of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne without providing additional personal data. However, if you use services via the website of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne, the processing of your personal data may be necessary. If the processing of your personal data is necessary but not lawful without your consent, the processing will not take place without this consent. You will then be asked to submit a declaration of consent. By entering your personal data, you consent to this information being stored and processed for the purposes stated, unless otherwise specified. Your data will only be retained for as long as necessary. Personal data (e.g. your name, email address, etc.) will only be collected and stored if you expressly and knowingly provide such information to the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne for specific purposes, for example when making an enquiry or ordering brochures. The personal information you enter will only be used by the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne for the purpose you have requested. Your personal data will only be transferred within the state administration of North Rhine-Westphalia and to the authorities, agencies and institutions responsible for the respective service or to the companies commissioned with order data processing. It will not be transferred to third parties for other purposes.
• 3) Transfer to third parties
  Furthermore, personal data (e.g. name, email address, etc.) will only be transferred if you expressly and knowingly provide us with such information for specific purposes and consent to its processing. Your data transferred to third parties will only be processed, stored and forwarded to the extent necessary for the respective purpose or covered by your consent. Your data will not be processed, used or passed on to third parties for any other purpose. This privacy policy does not extend to websites of other providers that may be accessed via links on the website of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne.
• 4) Hosting
  The website of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne is hosted on Telekom servers. All data stored in connection with hosting is stored exclusively in Germany on German servers.
• 5) Embedding of social media
  We maintain online presences on the social networks Facebook/Meta, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. It is currently not legally clear whether and to what extent all networks offer their services in accordance with European data protection regulations. As soon as new and legally secure aspects arise for the operation of our social media presence, we will address them immediately. Until then, you should carefully consider what personal data you make available to social networks.
  We expressly draw your attention to the fact that Facebook/Meta (including Instagram), LinkedIn and Google (YouTube) store their users' data (e.g. personal information, IP address) in accordance with their data usage policies and use it for business purposes.
  The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne has no influence on the collection of data and its further use by social networks. We have no knowledge of the extent to which, where and for how long the data is stored, the extent to which the networks comply with existing deletion obligations, what evaluations and links are made with the data, and to whom the data is passed on.
  Integration of videos from YouTube and Vimeo Videos from the external video platforms YouTube (Google) and Vimeo are integrated into our website in several places. If you access our content while logged into your YouTube (Google)/Vimeo account, YouTube (Google)/Vimeo may associate this information with your user profile. We have no influence on YouTube (Google)/Vimeo storing the IP address and other data of the user. You can find out more about how the data is processed at the following links:
  http://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/
  https://vimeo.com/privacy
  Instagram Our pages incorporate functions of the Instagram service via the SnapWidget widget. The Instagram functions are offered by Instagram Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA. If you are logged into your Instagram account, you can link the content of our pages to your Instagram profile by clicking on the Instagram button. This allows Instagram to associate your visit to our pages with your user account. We would like to point out that, as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the data transmitted or its use by Instagram. Further information on this can be found in Instagram's privacy policy:
  https://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy/
  LinkedIn Functions of the LinkedIn service are integrated into our pages. These functions are offered by LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland, in relation to so-called designated countries (‘designated countries’ refers to the countries in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) as well as Switzerland). If you are located in the United Kingdom, LinkedIn Corporation, located at 1000 W Maude Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA, is responsible for processing your personal data. Please note that, as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the data transmitted or its use by LinkedIn. For more information, please refer to LinkedIn's privacy policy at
  https://de.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
• 6) Cookies The websites of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne uses cookies. Cookies are text files that are stored on a computer system via an internet browser. The websites https://smart.theme-eu.net/login/auth and https://demo.theme-eu.net/login/auth use only technical cookies. As they are necessary for the operation of a website, they are not subject to consent.
  Numerous websites and servers use cookies. Many cookies contain a so-called cookie ID. A cookie ID is a unique identifier for the cookie. It consists of a string of characters that allows websites and servers to be assigned to the specific internet browser in which the cookie was stored. This enables the websites and servers visited to distinguish the individual browser of the person concerned from other internet browsers that contain other cookies. A specific internet browser can be recognised and identified via the unique cookie ID.
  By using cookies, the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne can provide users of this website with more user-friendly services that would not be possible without the use of cookies.
  Cookies enable us to optimise the information and offers on our website for the benefit of the user. As already mentioned, cookies enable us to recognise users of our website. The purpose of this recognition is to make it easier for users to use our website. For example, users of a website that uses cookies do not have to re-enter their access data each time they visit the website, because this is done by the website and the cookie stored on the user's computer system. Another example is the cookie for a shopping basket in an online shop. The online shop uses a cookie to remember the items that a customer has placed in their virtual shopping basket.
  Which cookies can be set without consent?
  Not all cookies require the user's consent. Authorities and courts have repeatedly clarified that cookies that are necessary for the operation of a website are not subject to consent. However, it must then be clearly stated, e.g. in a privacy policy, which cookies are set and for what purpose. The legitimate interests of a website operator include, among other things, reach measurement and statistical analysis, shopping basket functions, and efficiency and cost-saving considerations (including content delivery networks, CDN; integration of content hosted on other servers).
  
  This applies to all cookies in the following overview:

  Widget	Provider	Provider's privacy policy
  Amazon / Amazon Deutschland Services GmbH	Marcel-Breuer-Straße 12, 80807 Munich	https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/customer/display.html? /nodeId=GE8HYJGP7N9LJUQY
  eBay / eBay Produkt eBay Customer Support GmbH	Albert-Einstein-Ring 2-6, 14532 Kleinmachnow	https://www.ebay.de/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/datenschutzerklrung?id=4260
  Ecwid Shop / Ecwid, Inc.	687 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, California 92024, USA	https://www.ecwid.com/eu-privacy-policy
  Facebook Like / Facebook Page	Mediafeed Facebook Germany GmbH, Caffamacherreihe 7, Brahmsquartier, 20355 Hamburg	https://de-de.facebook.com/policy.php
  Microsoft Corporation	One Mircosoft Way, Redmond, WA 98051-6399 USA	https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement
  Google Calendar / Google Ireland Limited	Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland	https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de&gl=de
  Open Table / Open Table International	Alphabeta Building, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London	https://www.opentable.de/legal/privacy-policy
  SoundCLOUD / Soundcloud Limited	Rheinberger Str. 76/77, 10115 Berlin	https://soundcloud.com/pages/privacy
  Mixcloud / Mixcloud Limited	447-453 Hackney Rd, London E2 9DY, GB	https://www.mixcloud.com/privacy/
  Vimeo / Vimeo Inc., LLC	55 West 18th Street, NY 10011	https://vimeo.com/privacy
  LinkedIn / LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company	Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland	https://de.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
  YouTube / YouTube LLC	901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, US	https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de&gl=de

  How to find out which cookies are set when you visit your homepage
  • Chrome
    • Go to your homepage.
    • Click on the padlock displayed in front of your URL.
    • Here you can see how many cookies have been set in the lower third. Click on the cookies to get more details.
  • Firefox
    Go to the browser's ‘Settings’.
    • Switch to ‘Privacy & Security’.
    • Click on ‘Manage data’ under ‘Cookies and website data’.
    • Search for the domain of your homepage.
  Users can prevent our website from setting cookies when they access it and at any time by adjusting the settings of their internet browser, thereby permanently objecting to the setting of cookies. Furthermore, cookies that have already been set can be deleted at any time via an internet browser or other software programmes. This is possible in all common internet browsers. If the data subject deactivates the setting of cookies in the Internet browser used, not all functions of our website may be fully usable.
• 7) Processing on request
  • a) Contacting us by e-mail You have the option of contacting the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne by e-mail. If you contact the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne in this way, the personal data you provide will be stored automatically. Such personal data – which you provide to us on a voluntary basis – will be stored for the purpose of processing your enquiry or contacting the person concerned. This personal data will not be passed on to third parties.
  • b) Data transfer Telecommunications secrecy also protects the contents of your emails and form entries from unauthorised access and processing. The Cologne Government Regional Office ensures compliance with telecommunications secrecy to the extent that it has influence over this. However, data transmission via the internet can generally be recorded by other internet operators and users. Personal data is therefore only transmitted in encrypted form wherever possible.
  • c) Up-to-dateness of data The information on the websites of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne is constantly updated. Despite careful processing, data may have changed or errors may have occurred.

V. Liability

• 1) Liability for content
  The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne accepts no liability or guarantee for the topicality or accuracy of the information posted on the website or for damage caused by the use of the information or data provided. This does not apply if the damage was caused by gross negligence or intent on the part of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne. This also applies to damage resulting from the use of incorrect or incomplete data and information.
• 2) Liability for links
  The above information on data protection does not extend to websites of other providers that can be accessed via links on this website of the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne. The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne accepts no liability for the processing of your personal data by such providers. In the event of indications of legal violations, the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne will check the relevant links and, if legally required, remove them immediately, insofar as this is technically possible and reasonable.

VI. Changes to the data protection information

Any changes to the above data protection information will be announced here. The Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne is aware that you have permitted it to use your personal data for very specific purposes. Should the Department for EU Projects in VET in Cologne wish to use your data for other purposes (change of purpose), you will be asked for your consent in advance. Only with your consent will the scope of use of your personal data change.