The European Trade Promotion Organisations’ Association (referred to as “ETPOA”) is an international non-profit association domiciled in Brussels, Belgium. The ETPOA is committed to protecting the privacy of external and internal applicants. When an applicant sends a job application, the ETPOA collects information (personal data) about the applicant.  

Protecting the privacy and personal data of applicants is of the highest importance to the ETPOA and is a significant aspect of the way the ETPOA organises its recruiting activities.  

Please read this Privacy Statement carefully. It explains why and how we collect information about you, how we protect it and for how long we store it. We keep your data as safe and secure as reasonably possible and we will handle your personal data in strict compliance with applicable data protection laws, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 of May 25th, 2018 (‘GDPR’). Please check this page regularly for any changes since there is no prior notice for updates.  

1. Collection of personal data  

The ‘Data Controller’ of your personal data will be European Trade Promotion Organisations’ Association, with registered offices at 1030 Brussels, Koning Albert II-laan 37, with company number BE 0722.594.669.  

2. Purpose and legal basis for processing your personal data  

The purpose for processing your personal data is to register your application for a job within our organisation and, if this application is successful, the ETPOA will process all the necessary data that is required for us to assess your job application in view of a potential recruitment.  

The processing of your data is therefore necessary in order to take steps prior to entering into an employment contract and is in the ETPOA’s legitimate interest, i.e. the interest to assess and evaluate you before deciding on making an offer of employment.  

In case of positive evaluation and decision to hire, we will also use your personal data to prepare an employment contract.  

In case of a decision not to hire you, we will retain your personal data for a period of time as well (see question 6) in order to be able to contact you if any future job opportunities would seem to match your profile as well as for auditing purposes. This is also in the legitimate interest of the ETPOA.  

3. Categories of personal data  

Personal data is all information relating to you or on the basis of which you may be identified.  

The ETPOA collects and processes applicant data (required and optional) which an applicant provides directly, via applications sent by email. For the purposes referred to here above, the processing of personal data will include the following:  

• Standard data related to your identity (surname, name(s), address…);  

• Personal data (date and place of birth, nationality, gender, phone number, email address, hobbies and interests, …);  
• Your picture, if you decide to provide us with it;  
• Data with regard to your professional experience, including reference checks if you have provided us with references in your CV (which means that you have given us consent to contact those references);  
• Data with regard to your education (diploma’s, certificates, internships, special trainings, …)  
• Language skills;  

• If applicable, whether you possess a permit of working and/or reside in the European Economic Area (EEA);  
• Any other personal data that you present us with as part of your application, related to the exercise of the role;  
• Digital assessment through the internet (social media presence), insofar as this presence is open for us to see;  
• Any other personal data (than mentioned above) that require processing by virtue of the law.  

The ETPOA does not collect or process any sensitive applicant data, such as data that reveals your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation. If, owing to certain circumstances, the ETPOA does collect sensitive applicant data, the applicant’s explicit prior written consent will be asked. Please note that by providing the ETPOA with unsolicited sensitive applicant data, the applicant consents to the ETPOA’s processing of this sensitive applicant data for recruitment purposes.  

4. Who will have access to your personal data?  

HR and your envisaged hierarchic superior(s) will have access to your personal data on a strict ‘need-to-know’ basis for the purposes described above.  

We do not pass on your information to any other third party, with the possible exception of assessments centres etc. or any other third party in case it is relevant for the recruitment process.  

Prior to disclosing any information to any third party, the ETPOA will ensure that all third party recipients are bound to strict standards of security.  

The ETPOA does not sell or trade applicant data to any third party. The ETPOA may be obliged to disclose certain applicant data to third parties, such as government authorities, in accordance with applicable laws. It may also be necessary for the ETPOA to disclose applicant data so as to protect the legal rights of the ETPOA, again in accordance with applicable laws.  

5. Will your personal data be transferred outside my country of residence?  

No data is stored or transferred outside Europe except in the case where we use a contracted data processor operating under the EU-US or EU-Swiss Privacy Shield Framework.  

6. How long will your personal data be stored?  

We will only hold your personal data for as long as it is necessary for the purposes described above. The ETPOA will only retain applicant data after the recruitment and selection process if there is a legal obligation to do so (e.g. equal opportunity requirements in local employment laws), or if there is a ‘business need’ to keep the applicant data, e.g. keeping an applicant’s resume on file if a suitable vacancy arises.  

In case the recruitment does not result in an employment relationship, your personal data will be retained for a maximum period of five years after the end of the job application procedure for the purposes described under 2.  

7. Security  

The ETPOA uses a number of technical, physical and organisational security measures to assure the integrity, confidentiality and availability of applicant data. The ETPOA has implemented technologies and security policies to protect the stored personal data of our users from unauthorised access, improper use, alteration, unlawful or accidental destruction and accidental loss. Access to applicant data is limited to the ETPOA processors who are involved in the ETPOA recruitment activities. The ETPOA processors who have access to applicant data are obliged to respect the privacy of applicants and the confidentiality of their applicant data. The ETPOA ensures adequate security to protect manual and electronic processing of applicant data and prevent its misuse, all in accordance with applicable local legal requirements. The ETPOA also ensures that third parties and affiliates processing applicant data on the ETPOA’s behalf, will observe similarly adequate security measures again in accordance with applicable local legal requirements.  

8. Your rights  

You have at any time the possibility to contact the ETPOA should you need any support while applying or managing your personal data. Additionally, you have at any time the right to contact the ETPOA if you want to:  

• Access, rectify or erase your personal data. The ETPOA facilitates access to applicant data and the correction thereof;  
• Restrict or object to the processing and transfer of your personal data;  
• Withdraw your consent to the processing or transfer of your personal data based on consent (however, this will not affect the lawfulness of earlier processing activities);  
• Receive your data in order to transmit them to another controller (‘right to data portability’);  
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, if you feel that the EEB has not acted in line with data protection legislation.  

Please send any questions, comments or issues about this privacy statement or the ETPOA’s applicant data collection and processing activities to: secretariat@etpoa.eu  

9. Changes  

This Privacy Notice might be edited from time to time to comply with applicable laws or to reflect updated business practices, within the limitation set out by the relevant privacy and data protection laws.  

10. Confirmation  

By submitting my application, I confirm having read and understood this ETPOA Recruitment privacy statement and that I agree to its content.