Privacy Policy

CEC – The European Confederation of the Footwear Industry takes personal data protection very seriously. We invite you to read our Privacy Policy carefully for a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (https://www.eugdpr.org)

1. About CEC and your data privacy rights

1.1 CEC represents the European footwear industry towards EU institutions and other organisations based in Brussels. Through research, collaboration and advocacy, CEC aims at boosting the competitiveness and sustainable growth of European footwear companies: sustainability and image towards EU policymakers and stakeholders. CEC is a non-profit association under Belgian law (asbl) with its official address at Rue de la Science 14b, 1040 Brussels.

1.2 Your data privacy rights – CEC is committed to the high data privacy standards and to protecting the personal data it collects and processes. For that purpose, CEC has deployed this data privacy policy and organisational measures to prevent data breaches and unlawful use.
As a data controller, our responsibility notably implies that we provide you with the right to consult, correct or remove any of your personal data. Should you wish to consult, complete, rectify, restrict or remove any of the information that we hold about you or your organisation, please contact us at: info@cecfootwearindustry.eu. To know more about your data protection and privacy rights please consult the Belgian supervisory authority – the Commission for protection of privacy – at https://www.privacycommission.be/en.

2. About the personal data we collect and the way we use them

2.1 Personal data – As a Member of CEC or an external stakeholder, you may provide us with personal data information when using our website, interacting with us on social media, registering for information or events. The data we collect can include your organisation’s name, logo, title (or gender), job title, first name, family name, function, telephone number, mailing address, e-mail, social media account (s) and web address or photo. Some of this information is considered as personal data under the EU GDPR. In most instances, we collect personal data directly from the data subjects, but we may sometimes obtain personal data from third parties such as directories or EU institutions websites.

2.2 Purpose of use and processing – The information that you provide us with will be used for the purpose of contacting you and/or providing you with relevant and updated information about our organisation, its activities and positions. More specifically, as part of its general mission, CEC processes personal data for the following purposes:

  • For membership management and general administration: CEC has legitimate interest in the processing of personal data of the contact persons across its membership for administering or informing its membership or for the governance of the association. CEC also processes the personal data of representatives and contact persons of entities with which we contract or collaborate, such as consortiums, services providers or consultancies.
  • For research, studies and advocacy purposes: CEC processes contact details of journalists, officials from the European Institutions and from EU Member States, regions, education, research, social partners, consultants and industry experts and European affairs stakeholders for the purposes of carrying out its research, surveys, studies and advocacy activities, some of them carried out under European projects.
  • For events organisation: CEC processes identification details of individuals who register to participate to events and conferences it organises for the purpose of managing the registration, invoicing and participation to such events under the general terms and conditions that are expressly accepted by the individuals and/or based on consent for certain personal data.
  • For websites security and content access: CEC processes identification data from individuals who register themselves on websites managed by CEC and give their express consent to receive information from us such as newsletters. CEC also processes identification data from members or content subscribers to facilitate their personal access to meeting documents or website content.

2.3 Explicit consent, retention and right of consultation, and modification – Your prior informed, explicit, consent for the use and processing of your personal data will be requested for registering to CEC mass communication such as newsletters or event participation. Your consent will also be specifically asked for photos or multimedia content that may enable the recognition of participants at events.

Your personal data will be kept as long as you are a designated person of your organisation in relation with CEC or its Members and, otherwise provided by law, for the time that is strictly necessary to achieve the purpose(s) for which they were collected.

Should you wish to withdraw your prior informed consent, consult, complete, rectify, restrict or remove any of the information that we hold about you or your organisation, please contact us at: info@cecfootwearindustry.eu.

2.4 Data sharing – As a non-profit organisation, CEC does not share or sell any personal data to third parties for any commercial purpose. Therefore, your personal data will not be shared with any other third parties unless we would be required to do so by law or to comply with a court order served upon us in connection with our website(s), social media, the implementation of the EU GDPR or to protect and defend our legal rights and interests and those of our members. Personal data may be shared with CEC Members for the same legitimate interest and purpose that CEC uses them.

2.5. Risk assessment – The processing of your personal data was self-assessed as presenting limited risks for your fundamental rights considering that only professional information is used and that adequate measures are in place to prevent data breaches.

2.6. Personal data breaches– In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, if a personal data breach is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, we will communicate the personal data breach to the data subject as soon as possible via email.

3. About our websites and social media

3.1 Cookies – Our website or social media channels may use tracking techniques such as cookies for collecting technical information about your use for the purpose of improving and tailoring their content and making it more user-friendly. Cookies are stored on your computer and enable us to track your computer’s use of the website and, for registered users, to manage their access to specific content. It is possible for you to disable or delete cookies within your specific browser options, although this may impair your use of the website or will require you to resubmit your credentials to access member’s or subscriber’s content.

3.2 Social media privacy policies – When interacting with our social media channel (Twitter) your consent and personal data use are covered by the terms and conditions and privacy policies of each of these social media platforms.

3.3. Third parties’ websites and social media – Our website, social media channels and electronic communication tools may also contain links to those of third parties. These links are provided for your information and convenience only. CEC does not endorse, approve or take any responsibility for the websites or social media channels which we provide links to. We also do not endorse, approve or take any responsibility for their availability, performance, content or for the use of such websites or social media channels or any information contained therein.

CEC’s data privacy policy applies only to our databases, website(s), and electronic communication media and not to any other websites or media that you would access by hyperlink from our website or our social media. When you leave our website by linking to another site or through social media, you should read the privacy policy, if any, provided by such website or media.