Cookies are small bits of data sent by a website server to the browser on your computer. The browser informs the server when you next visit that particular website. Cookies help us to store user preferences, track usage trends on an aggregate basis and improve the user experience.

Functional cookies

These cookies enable us to improve the usability and performance of this website by allowing it to remember choices and customisations you make during your visit, such as your preferred language.

Performance cookies

These cookies collect information about how you use our website and help us, for example, to understand what interests our users and measure how effective our communications are. In this way, we can adapt the content of our website more specifically to your needs and thereby improve what we offer you, for example by ensuring that you can easily find what you are looking for. These performance cookies include those set by social media platforms and by Google services deployed on the site.

For example, we rely on Google Analytics to obtain statistics about the usage of the website. Data are sent to servers operated by Google (which might be located outside the EU) and are used to provide the ECB with aggregate statistics about the number and duration of visits, usage patterns, traffic sources, users’ demographics and searches performed on this website.

Additionally, we may also conduct A/B testing with Google Optimize.

We collect data to keep track of the number of visitors to the various parts of the site, manage visitor traffic and improve functionality and usability. We do not identify individual visitors and we receive anonymised aggregate data.

Google has its own privacy policy. Google self-certifies compliance with the EU-US “Privacy Shield” framework that the US Department of Commerce developed in consultation with the European Commission in order to meet the European “adequacy” standard for privacy protection.

Google Analytics

Google’s Privacy policy

Privacy Shield certification

Servers automatically record information that your browser sends whenever you visit a website. These server logs may include information such as the date and time of your visit, your Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, browser screen size, and one or more cookies that identify your browser. Such logs are stored for a maximum of ten months and then deleted. The information the ECB collects is only used to compile statistics, on an aggregate basis, on the usage of this site and for maintenance and security purposes.

Personal information communicated via the website or by email

We collect further personal data only with your consent, such as an email address if you wish to sign up to a mailing list. The relevant pages provide more information about the personal data we collect.

Legal basis for the processing of personal data

Personal data are collected and processed by the ECB based on your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Your personal data will no longer be processed once you have withdrawn your consent but prior processing will remain lawful.

Data subject rights

You have the right to access and rectify your personal data, to restrict the processing of your data and, under certain conditions, to ask for your data to be deleted.

You can exercise your rights by contacting the Directorate General Communications at webmaster@ecb.europa.eu. If you have any further questions, you can also contact the ECB’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@ecb.europa.eu.

Furthermore, you have the right to contact the European Data Protection Supervisor at any time about the processing of your personal data.