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.
Ƶ can also be used to establish anonymised statistics about the browsing experience on our sites.
How do we use cookies?
European Commission websites mostly use “first-party cookies”. These are cookies set and controlled by the Commission, 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)
Visitor preferences
These are set by us and only we can read them. 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.
Name | Service | Purpose | Cookie type and duration |
eu_cookie_consent | Cookie consent kit | Stores your cookie preferences (so you won’t be asked again) | First-party session cookie deleted after you quit your browser |
Ecsi, Eurostat-SearchFeedback | Website survey tools | Stores information on whether you have already replied to a survey pop-up – so you won't be asked again. | First-party persistent cookie, 1 month |
cck3 | Cookie consent kit | Stores your preferences for 3rd-party cookies (so you won't be asked again) | First-party session cookie deleted after you quit your browser |
cck1 | Cookie consent kit | Stores your cookie preferences (so you won’t be asked again) | First-party persistent cookie, 6 months |
clima_survey | Climate Action | Stores information on whether you have already replied to a survey pop-up – so you won't be asked again | First-party persistent cookie, deleted after 1 day after you close the survey popup |
econt_font_size | DEVCO companion | Stores the font size in which you want to read the content on the web page, following selection from the font-size menu | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
econt_resizable_width | DEVCO companion | Remembers the width of the sidebar | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
econt_font_size | PRAG Practical guide | Stores the font size in which you want to read the content on the web page, following selection from the font-size menu | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
econt_resizable_width | PRAG Practical guide | Remembers the width of the sidebar | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
escoLanguage | ESCO Portal | Stores your language preferences | First-party cookie deleted after one week |
cookie-agreed | Speech Repository | Stores your cookie preferences (so you won’t be asked again) | First-party persistent cookie, 100 days |
confluence.sidebar.width | Extranet Wikis Public Wikis | Remembers the width of the sidebar | localStorage, persistent data |
dashboard.route.last | Extranet Wikis Public Wikis | Remembers preference for information displayed on the user's dashboard | localStorage, persistent data |
Third-party cookies
Some of our pages display content from external providers, e.g. YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
To view this third-party content, you first have to accept their specific terms and conditions. This includes their cookie policies, which we have no control over.
But if you do not view this content, no third-party cookies are installed on your device.
Third-party providers on Commission websites
These third-party services are outside of the control of the Commission. Providers may, at any time, change their terms of service, purpose and use of cookies, etc.