What are cookies?

A cookie is a small text file that a website stores on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site.

• First party cookies are cookies set by the website you’re visiting. Only that website can read them. In addition, a website might potentially use external services, which also set their own cookies, known as third-party cookies.
• Persistent cookies are cookies saved on your computer and that are not deleted automatically when you quit your browser, unlike a session cookie, which is deleted when you quit your browser.

Every time you visit the Commission’s websites, you will be prompted to accept or refuse cookies.

The purpose is to enable the site to remember your preferences (such as user name, language, etc.) for a certain period of time.

That way, you don’t have to re-enter them when browsing around the site during the same visit.

Cookies can also be used to establish anonymised statistics about the browsing experience on our sites.

How do we use cookies?

VERITY website mostly use “first-party cookies”. These are cookies set and controlled by VERITY, not by any external organisation.

However, to view some of our pages, you will have to accept cookies from external organisations.  

The 3 types of first-party cookie we use are to:

• store visitor preferences
• make our websites operational
• gather analytics data (about user behaviour)

The categories of cookies used on VERITY website are:

• Strictly necessary cookies - Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
• Statistics - Statistic cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
• Marketing - Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.

Strictly necessary cookies

These are set by us and only we can read them. These cookies are essential for you to browse the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the site. Cookies that allow web shops to hold your items in your cart while you are shopping online are an example of strictly necessary cookies. These cookies will generally be first-party session cookies. They remember:

• if you have agreed to (or refused) this site’s cookie policy
• if you have already replied to our survey pop-up (about how helpful the site content was) – so you won't be asked again

Strictly necessary cookies

These are set by us and only we can read them. These cookies are essential for you to browse the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the site. Cookies that allow web shops to hold your items in your cart while you are shopping online are an example of strictly necessary cookies. These cookies will generally be first-party session cookies. They remember:

• if you have agreed to (or refused) this site’s cookie policy
• if you have already replied to our survey pop-up (about how helpful the site content was) – so you won't be asked again

How can you manage cookies?

Removing cookies from your device

You can delete all cookies that are already on your device by clearing the browsing history of your browser. This will remove all cookies from all websites you have visited.

Be aware though that you may also lose some saved information (e.g. saved login details, site preferences).

Managing site-specific cookies

For more detailed control over site-specific cookies, check the privacy and cookie settings in your preferred browser.

Blocking cookies

You can set most modern browsers to prevent any cookies being placed on your device, but you may then have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit a site/page. And some services and functionalities may not work properly at all (e.g. profile logging-in).

Managing our analytics cookies

You can manage your preferences concerning cookies on the dedicated page.