Privacy and Cookie Policy

1. Data Controller

The data controller is the Veritas Publica Europae Foundation, registered in Romania. Any request regarding personal data may be sent to: gdpr@veritaspublica.eu

2. What data we collect and why

2.1 Contact form

When you complete the contact form, we collect: your name (optional), email address (required), subject and message. The legal basis is the foundation's legitimate interest in responding to received requests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Data is stored in the site's secure database and deleted after 12 months or upon request.

2.2 Submitted complaints

Complaints submitted through the platform are processed in accordance with the Civic OS service privacy policy. Contact data provided in complaints is handled with enhanced protection and is not disclosed without the explicit consent of the data subject or without applicable legal basis.

2.3 Technical data (session cookies)

The site uses session cookies strictly necessary for technical operation (language preference, navigation session). These do not require consent under Art. 5(3) ePrivacy Directive, as they are essential for the service requested by the user.

3. Cookies and tracking

3.1 Essential cookies

The vp_consent cookie (localStorage) stores your consent preference. The PHP session cookie stores your language preference. These cannot be disabled and do not collect personally identifiable data.

3.2 Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4)

With your explicit consent, we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the site is used. Data collected is anonymised (IP address is truncated), is not used for advertising and is not combined with other data sources that would permit personal identification. Legal basis: consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).

You may withdraw consent at any time by clicking here or through your browser settings.

Google LLC processes data as a joint controller. Google Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy

3.3 Third-party cookies — Google Fonts

The site uses Google Fonts for typography. By accessing the site, your browser may transmit your IP address to Google servers for font loading. This constitutes a transfer of data to the USA under applicable legal mechanisms (DPF). Fonts may alternatively be served locally — contact: gdpr@veritaspublica.eu

4. Your rights

Under GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right of access — you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — you may request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure — you may request deletion of data where there is no legal basis for retention
• Right to restriction of processing — you may request limitation of processing in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability — you may request your data in structured format
• Right to object — you may object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Right to withdraw consent — at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing

To exercise any right: gdpr@veritaspublica.eu

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Romanian National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing (ANSPDCP): dataprotection.ro

5. Data security

We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss or disclosure: HTTPS/TLS connections, secure storage in restricted-access databases, admin access audit log, defined retention policies and training for staff with data access.

6. International transfers

Google Analytics may involve data transfers to the USA. These transfers are covered by applicable EU-US legal mechanisms (EU-US Data Privacy Framework). We do not carry out other international transfers of personal data.

7. Retention

Contact messages: maximum 12 months. Google Analytics data: 14 months (standard configuration). Complaints: as per the internal Civic OS service policy, communicated separately. Internal audit logs: 24 months.

8. Policy changes

Any significant changes will be announced on the site at least 30 days before taking effect where possible. The date of the latest update is indicated in the header of this document.