What are cookies?

In English, the word “cookie” means a sweet biscuit, but when it comes to web browsing a “cookie” is something else entirely.
When you visit our website, a small amount of text called a “cookie” is stored in your device’s browser. That text holds various information about your browsing, your habits, your preferences, content personalisation and so on.
There are other technologies that work in a similar way and are also used to gather data about your browsing activity. We will refer to all of these technologies together as “cookies”.
The specific ways in which we use these technologies are described in this document.

What are cookies used for on this website?

Cookies are an essential part of how our website works. The main purpose of our cookies is to improve your browsing experience: for example, to remember your preferences (language, country and so on) while you browse and on future visits. The information collected in cookies also allows us to improve the site, tailor it to your interests as a user, speed up the searches you carry out, and so on.
In certain cases, where we have obtained your prior informed consent, we may use cookies for other purposes, such as obtaining information that allows us to show you advertising based on an analysis of your browsing habits.

What are cookies NOT used for on this website?

The cookies we use do not store sensitive personally identifying information such as your name, address or password.

Who uses the information stored in cookies?

The information stored in the cookies on our website is used exclusively by us, except for those identified below as “third-party cookies”, which are used and managed by external organisations that provide us with services which improve the user experience. For example, the statistics gathered on the number of visits, the most popular content and so on are usually managed by GOOGLE ANALYTICS.
Third-party cookies are also commonly used to secure payment transactions made through the website.

How can I avoid the use of cookies on this website?

If you would rather avoid the use of cookies, you can REJECT them or you can CONFIGURE which ones you want to avoid and which ones you allow (this document gives you fuller information about each type of cookie, its purpose, recipient, duration and so on).
If you have accepted them, we will not ask you again unless you delete the cookies on your device as explained in the next section.
If you want to withdraw your consent, you will need to delete the cookies and configure them again.

How do I disable and delete the use of cookies?

You can restrict, block or delete the cookies on this website (and those used by third parties) at any time by changing your browser settings. Bear in mind that these settings differ from browser to browser, although cookie settings are usually found under the ‘Preferences’, ‘Tools’ or ‘Options’ menu and then under ‘Privacy and Security’ or ‘clear browsing data’, and so on.
For more detail on how to configure cookies in each browser, see its ‘Help’ menu.

What types of cookies are used on this website?

Every website uses its own cookies. On ours we use the following:

BY THE ORGANISATION THAT MANAGES THEM

• First-party cookies:
these are sent to the user’s terminal equipment from a machine or domain managed by the publisher itself, from which the service requested by the user is provided.
• Third-party cookies:
these are sent to the user’s terminal equipment from a machine or domain that is not managed by the publisher but by another organisation, which processes the data obtained through the cookies.
Where cookies are served from a machine or domain managed by the publisher itself but the information they collect is managed by a third party, they cannot be considered first-party cookies if that third party uses them for its own purposes (for example, improving the services it provides or providing advertising services for other organisations).

BY PURPOSE

• Technical cookies:
these are necessary for browsing and for our website to work properly — for example, to control traffic and data communication, identify the session, access restricted areas, remember the items making up an order, complete the purchase process for an order, manage payment, control fraud linked to the security of the service, submit a registration or event participation request, count visits for the purpose of licensing the software the service runs on (website, platform or application), use security features while browsing, store content for video or audio streaming, enable dynamic content (for example, a loading animation for text or an image) or share content through social networks.
• Analytics cookies: these make it possible to count the number of users and so measure and statistically analyse how users make use of the service offered. To do so, their browsing on our website is analysed with a view to improving the range of products or services we offer.
• Preference or personalisation cookies:
these make it possible to remember information so that the user accesses the service with certain characteristics that may set their experience apart from that of other users — for example, the language, the number of results to show when the user runs a search, or the appearance or content of the service depending on the type of browser used or the region the service is accessed from.
• Behavioural advertising cookies:
these, processed by us or by third parties, allow us to analyse your browsing habits on the internet so that we can show you advertising related to your browsing profile.

BY HOW LONG THEY REMAIN ACTIVE

• Session cookies:
these are designed to collect and store data while the user is on a web page.
They are usually used to store information that is only worth keeping in order to provide the service requested by the user on a single occasion (for example, a list of products purchased) and they disappear when the session ends.
• Persistent cookies:
in these, the data remains stored on the terminal and can be accessed and processed for a period set by the party responsible for the cookie, which may range from a few minutes to several years. In this respect, it should be assessed specifically whether persistent cookies are necessary, since the privacy risks could be reduced by using session cookies instead. In any event, where persistent cookies are installed, it is recommended that their duration be kept to the minimum necessary for the purpose they serve. To that end, Opinion 4/2012 of the Article 29 Working Party stated that, for a cookie to be exempt from the duty to obtain informed consent, its expiry must be related to its purpose. It is therefore far more likely that session cookies will be regarded as exempt than persistent ones.