Session and Persistent Cookies

Our websites may place session and persistent cookies on your device. The difference between a session and a persistent cookie relates to the length of time the cookie lasts. Session cookies are cookies that typically last for as long as you are using your browser. When you end your browser session, the cookie expires. Persistent cookies, as the name implies, are persistent and will last after you close your browser. This allows, for example, for quicker and often more convenient access to our website.

Purpose of Cookies and Legal Basis for Cookies?

There are different types of cookies:

• Strictly necessary cookies: Strictly necessary cookies are required to browse the website and use the functionalities of the website. If you disable necessary cookies, the functionality of the website will be affected. Your consent is not required for the use of strictly necessary cookies. The legal basis for the collection of information through the use of strictly necessary cookies is contract performance (if we concluded a contract on the use of the website with you) or legitimate interests of us or third parties, such as the provision of a functioning website. More information on the balancing test is available upon request. These cookies cannot be deactivated on our website. These can be deactivated within your browser at your option.
• Performance cookies: Performance cookies collect information about how visitors use the website, for instance which pages are visited most often, and if visitors get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how the website works. The legal basis for the collection of information through performance cookies is your consent.
• Functionality cookies: Functionality cookies enable us to store the selections and settings made by you (e.g., language, region, text size, font). If you disable functionality cookies the functionality of the website may be affected. The legal basis for the collection of information through functionality cookies is your consent.
• Targeting/advertisement cookies: Targeting/advertisement cookies allow us to collect information on the use of and the scope of use of the website by individual users. This includes whether a user has visited the website previously, the website the user comes from, the overall site usage and areas that users prefer and thus allows us to improve the performance of the website and the user’s experience in using that website. It also allows us to analyze the efficiency of our marketing activities and to provide targeted advertisement tailored for your interests. If you disable such cookies you will not receive a customized experience. 

First Party and Third Party Cookies

Our websites may place first party cookies and allow third parties to place cookies on your device. The difference between a first party cookie and a third party cookie relates to the control of the party who serves the cookie. First party cookies are cookies that are specific to the website that created them. Their use enables us to operate an efficient service and to track the patterns of behavior of visitors to the website. Third party cookies, on the other hand, are placed on your device by a third party (i.e., not by us). While we may allow third parties to access the website to place these cookies on users’ devices, we do not retain control over the information supplied by the cookies, nor do we retain access to that data. This information is controlled wholly by that third party and subject to their privacy notice. The legal basis for the collection of information through third party cookies depends on the type of cookie, please see above.

Cookies used on one or more of our websites

The following table lists the cookies that we use on our websites: