Privacy declaration
Your privacy is important to us. We want to be transparent about the personal data we collect, why we collect it and what measures we provide to thoroughly protect this personal data. Please read this Privacy Statement carefully, because it contains essential information about your rights as a data subject and about the way in which your personal data is processed by the Flemish Environment Agency (hereinafter the VMM).
The VMM would like to emphasize that it tries at all times to act in accordance with the European Regulation of 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/ EC, also called the General Data Protection Regulation (abbreviated AVG). The VMM therefore tries at all times to comply with the principles and requirements under the GDPR with regard to the processing of personal data.
Definitions
“We”, “Our”, “Us” refers to the Flemish Environmental Agency (hereinafter referred to as the VMM) with registered office at Dokter De Moorstraat 24-26, 9300 Aalst.
“You”, “You”, “You”, “Your” refers to: a visitor to one of our websites, as well as you as an individual whose personal data the VMM processes in the performance of its activities (also referred to as the data subject).
“Personal data” refers to all information that can identify you as a person (directly or indirectly).
“Website” refers to https://www.vmm.be, https://www.milieurapport.be, https://www.zonderisgezonder.be, https://www.integraalwaterbeleid.be, https:// www.waterinfo.be, as well as all web pages, platforms, interactive, interactive features, applications, widgets, blogs, social networks or other documents that post a link to this Privacy Statement, are subject to this Privacy Statement.
Who is responsible for your personal data (controller of the processing)?
The VMM, with registered office at Dokter De Moorstraat 24-26, 9300 Aalst, is responsible for the processing of your personal data. The VMM has appointed a data protection officer (hereinafter DPO) who advises the VMM on compliance with the GDPR. You can contact the DPO via informatieveiligheid@vmm.be.
What personal data do we collect about you and why?
Personal data that you provide to us: we collect, store and process personal data that you have provided to us in one way or another. You can communicate such information during the following actions:
When you register for our newsletter, we collect your surname, first name and e-mail address in order to be able to send our newsletter in a personal way to the correct e-mail address.
When you register for one of our events and/or study days, we collect your name, first name and email address so that we can add you to our guest list and keep you informed about the details of the event/study day.
If you have a question or complaint in connection with one of our services or in connection with your drinking water company or sewerage manager, we collect your name, first name, e-mail address, telephone number and address in order to be able to answer your question or complaint.
If you wish to participate in our recruitment and selection procedures, you must complete a questionnaire on the basis of which we can select the most suitable candidate according to the guidelines within the Flemish Government and to communicate with you about the procedure. We request the following personal data: name and first name, address, telephone number, e-mail, national register number, nationality, information about language skills, education and work experience.
Automatic information: when you visit our website or receive a newsletter from us, we collect information via cookies and other techniques. For more information about cookies, please refer to our cookie policy.
Information that we request from authentic sources: In order to properly perform the tasks imposed by law and/or decree, the VMM processes personal data. The VMM only requests this personal data from the authentic source of this personal data, such as the National Register, the Crossroads Bank for Social Security or other Flemish government agencies. Prior to receiving this personal data, the VMM must formally request access and use of these personal data from the authentic source itself or from the Flemish Supervisory Committee (for personal data requested from other Flemish government bodies). These applications are thoroughly and strictly assessed so that the VMM does not request unnecessary personal data, does not have any unlawful processing purposes in mind and that the VMM can guarantee that it will protect the personal data on the ground. More information about the tasks of the VMM can be found here.
What do we use your personal data for (purpose and legal basis of the processing)?
If you provide us with your personal data, these will be included in our database for the purpose of:
Improve the quality of our services and information;
Inform you about new developments within our area of competence;
Inform you about events and study days that we organise;
The above processing purposes are justified because of the permission that the VMM requests before processing the personal data.
To comply with our legally and/or decree-imposed duties and powers.
The above processing purpose is justified in this case due to a legal obligation resting on the VMM to process the personal data.
The VMM and the use of processors
For the processing of personal data, the VMM sometimes uses other service providers who will act as processors, exclusively on behalf of the VMM. These processors are not allowed to use the personal data for their own (commercial) purposes. The VMM carefully selects these partners and expects them to handle your personal data as dutifully as the VMM itself. We conclude a processing agreement with these processor(s) in which the processor is obliged to comply with the obligations from this Privacy Statement, as well as the provisions of the GDPR that apply to him.
How long do we keep your personal data?
The VMM has developed a policy on the retention of personal data. We ensure that the data is kept in a secure manner and that we do not keep it for longer than necessary to achieve the above-mentioned purposes. The retention period of the data therefore depends on the purpose for which it was collected. If you want the VMM to no longer keep your personal data or if you would like more information about the retention periods we use, you can contact us. You can read exactly how to do this under 'Article 10 – Where can you go with your request to exercise your rights?' of this Privacy Statement.
When you are registered for our newsletter, we will keep your personal data as long as you do not unsubscribe.
When the VMM processes your personal data to comply with its legally imposed duties and powers, your personal data will not be kept longer than necessary to realize these duties and powers. Depending on the task, this retention period can be several years. This period is necessary because the VMM has to determine evolutions over time for certain of its tasks.
The security of your personal data
The VMM recognizes its responsibility to provide an appropriate level of security for the personal data it processes. The VMM has therefore taken various measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction, taking into account the risks associated with the processing. At the organizational level, measures related to limited access to and monitoring of the buildings, systems and files are implemented, among other things; But technical measures including firewalls and encryption, protection through personal passwords and authentication, as well as authentication requirements for access to personal data on a need-to-know basis are also provided.
The effectiveness of the implemented measures is tested, assessed, evaluated and adjusted if necessary at regular intervals.
The VMM applies the GDPR principles for the processing of personal data from the start of new projects and processing activities (data protection by design) and will, if necessary, carry out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) in accordance with Article 35 GDPR, to assess the impact of a processing activity on the rights and freedoms of data subjects. Depending on the outcome of this DPIA, the VMM will take the appropriate measures to develop the new processing activity as closely as possible in accordance with the GDPR.
Your rights with regard to your personal data
The VMM wants to be as transparent and clear as possible about the activities for which we collect, use and secure your personal data. Consequently, the VMM has developed a policy so that you can exercise your rights with regard to the personal data that you have entrusted to us. In accordance with the applicable privacy legislation, you have various rights.
Right to information and access;
You have the right to take cognizance of your personal data, as well as the use we make of your personal data, at any time free of charge and you can request a copy of this. You can also ask in this way how long we keep your data, on which legal basis we process your data, etc. By exercising this right you can also check whether the data we have about you is correct. You can read how you can exercise this right under 'Article 10 – Where can you go with your request to exercise your rights?' of this Privacy Statement.'
Right to have your data corrected
If you notice that the personal data we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you can have it corrected or supplemented. You can read how you can exercise this right under 'Article 10 – Where can you go with your request to exercise your rights?' of this Privacy Statement.'
Right to have your data erased
You have the right to request that the VMM deletes the personal data it holds about you. Note that this right is not absolute. The GDPR determines the conditions under which this right can be exercised. The DPO will assess whether one of the conditions is met. If it is judged that one of these conditions applies, your personal data will be deleted. If your data has been passed on to our processors for certain purposes, the VMM will inform all these processors that the data must also be deleted from them. You acknowledge that upon request to delete personal data, certain services and products are no longer available.
You can read how you can exercise this right under 'Article 10 – Where can you go with your request to exercise your rights?' of this Privacy Statement.
Right to request the limited processing of your personal data
By requesting the limited processing of your personal data, it remains possible for the VMM to keep track of the data, but the use of the data is limited. The exercise of this right only applies in limited cases. If the VMM still wants to do other things with your data than simply storing the data, this will only be possible in limited cases (for example by requesting your permission again for the processing of your data). You can read how you can exercise this right under 'Article 10 – Where can you go with your request to exercise your rights?' of this Privacy Statement.'
Right to object to the processing
You have the right to object to the processing of your data if this processing is based on a public interest of the VMM. If you invoke this right, the DPO of the VMM will investigate whether the public interest invoked by the VMM for such processing outweighs your interests, rights and freedoms. If this is not the case, the VMM will no longer process your data for that purpose.
Right to portability of your data
This right means that you will receive back the data you have provided to the VMM. An additional aspect of this right is that you can take the data that you receive back to another controller without the VMM being able to object. Note that this only concerns the data that you have provided directly to the VMM. You can read how you can exercise this right under 'Article 10 – Where can you go with your request to exercise your rights?' of this Privacy Statement.'
Right to withdraw your consent
For all processing operations for which the VMM requests your permission, you can revoke this permission at any time. Please note, however, that withdrawing your consent has no impact on and does not affect the processing operations that the VMM did before your consent was withdrawn. You can withdraw your consent in several ways:
You can unsubscribe from newsletters, invitations to events and study days and surveys via the unsubscribe link that is always stated at the bottom of the sent communication.
You can contact our DPO and request to withdraw your consent for a certain activity. You can send your request to info@vmm.be.
Keep in mind that a certain processing time is required to process your request and that in the meantime there is a chance that you will still receive the communication. This processing time is kept to a minimum.
Where can you go with your request to exercise your rights?
If you want to exercise your rights under the GDPR or if you have a question about this Privacy Statement, you can contact us:
by e-mail: informatieveiligheid@vmm.be;
by post: to Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij, Dokter De Moorstraat 24-26, 9300 Aalst, attn the DPO;
We will do everything we can to answer or solve your questions and complaints as well as possible. If you are still dissatisfied with the way in which we handle your personal data, you can find more information about the steps you can take on the website of the Belgian Data Protection Authority.
Cross-border processing of personal data
The VMM guarantees that no transfer of personal data will take place outside Europe or the European Economic Area (EEA).
Changes to this Privacy Statement
The VMM reserves the right to amend and update this Privacy Statement at any time by posting a new version on our websites. We recommend that you consult this Privacy Statement regularly, so that you are always aware of the content of the applicable Privacy Statement. The VMM works together with other partners for various services. The VMM is not responsible for the privacy policy of these partners and does not guarantee the content of their privacy statement. We therefore recommend that you consult the privacy statement of these partners for more information.