Policy on the use of cookies

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small file that may be deposited and stored on your computer when you visit websites.
Cookies are deposited and/or read, in particular when a website or mobile application is consulted, or when software is installed or used, regardless of the type of terminal used: computer, smartphone, digital tablet or video game console connected to the Internet.
Information, such as your choice of language, is stored on your computer via these cookies. When you visit the website again, the stored cookie is sent back to the site in question, and you no longer have to choose your browsing language there.
Cookies generally have an expiry date. Some cookies, for example, are automatically deleted when you close your browser (these are known as session cookies), while others remain on your computer for longer, sometimes even until you delete them manually (these are known as "permanent" cookies).

Depending on their purpose, there are different types of cookies

Essential (or strictly necessary) cookies: these make it possible to ensure that the website functions properly and to offer users the services they expect, such as browsing, access to secure pages, etc. These cookies are essential insofar as their absence would prevent the website or the Application from functioning properly.
Comfort cookies, also known as functional cookies: these enable the website or application to remember the preferences of its users, such as the choice of language as in the example above, the font size, etc. If these cookies are not absolutely necessary, they will be deleted. Although these cookies are not absolutely necessary, they do make browsing more comfortable.
Analytical cookies: these collect information on user behaviour in order to deduce site performance, i.e. the pages that users visit most often, their activity on the site, the frequency of their visits, etc. In principle, this information is processed in the same way as cookies. In principle, this information is processed anonymously and for statistical purposes in order to improve the user's browsing experience on the site.
Third-party cookies: these are cookies placed on your computer by a site other than the main site you are visiting, generally when the main site calls up content from this other site. For example, if the site you are visiting contains a Youtube® video and you watch it, Youtube® places a cookie on your computer to receive information about this viewing so that it can offer you similar content later. These cookies may also be necessary for the site to function properly, but they are mainly used to enable third parties (in this example, Youtube®) to see which pages have been visited, particularly for advertising purposes.

What types of cookies are used and why?

The Institution, which manages this website, uses several types of cookies:

essential cookies
functional cookies
analytical cookies

Essential cookies

To manage the content of its website, The Institution sets essential cookies.
Essential cookies are necessary for the proper technical operation of the website. In view of their necessity, it is not possible to refuse them if you wish to visit our website, and they are placed as soon as you access the site. Your consent is therefore not required in this case, only an obligation to provide information.

NAME	Expiry	Content	Purpose
OptanonConsent	364 days	This stores information on the cookie categories used by the site and indicates whether visitors have given or withdrawn their consent for the use of each category. It contains no information permitting identification of the site visitor	This cookie is defined by the cookie compliance solution from OneTrust. This enables site owners to block cookies from each category from being installed in the user’s browser if the user has not given consent. The cookie has a life of one year so that visitors who revisit the site will see their preferences memorised.
OptanonAlertBoxClosed	364 days	This cookie contains a simple value indicating that the alert box has been closed. It does not store any personal information on the user. It can also record the date and time when the alert was closed.	This cookie is placed by websites that use certain versions of the cookie law compliance solution of OneTrust. It is placed after visitors have seen an information notice on cookies and, in some cases, only when they actively close the notice. It enables the website not to show the message more than once to the same user. The cookie expires after one year and does not contain any personal information.

Functional cookies

Functional cookies are required if you want an optimal use of a website. Your permission is required before the Institution can place this type of cookie.

Your cookie preferences will also be registered via a cookie.

NAME	Expiry	Content	Purpose
Language	Session cookie	ID of language chosen	To memorise the language chosen by the user so that when the user next visits the site it will be displayed in the right language.

Analytical cookies

The Institution also uses analytical cookies to quantify the visits (traffic) on its website. This enables it to analyse the site use for the purposes of improving content. Your consent is needed to place cookies of this type.

NAME	Expiry	Content	Purpose
Matomo (_pk_id)	13 months	Unique identifier: an alphanumerical identifier is attributed to each visitor. Last visit: The date and time of the last visit by the website visitor. Number of visits: The total number of visits made by the user. Date of first visit: The first time the user visited the website.	It is used to store a number of details on the user, such as the visitor’s unique identifier. This helps to track visitors uniquely through their sessions so as to understand their engagement and website use.
Matomo (_pk_ref)	6 months	Reference source : The URL or source (such as a search engine or referring site) that directed the visitor to the site. Key words : If the user comes from a search engine, key words used to find the site can be stored. Campaign details: If the user clicks on an advert or campaign link, the details of this campaign are saved.	It is used to store reference information on visitors. This includes where the users were before arriving at the site (for example, a search engine, an advert, another website). It helps to understand how the visitors are directed to the site, which is essential for marketing analysis ad to optimise advertising campaigns.
Matomo (_pk_ses, _pk_cvar, _pk_hsr)	30 minutes	This cookie stores temporary information on the user’s session. It does not store permanent data and generally expires after 30 minutes of inactivity. It contains specific information on the session, such as user segments or particular behaviour. This information is temporary and relates to the session in progress. This cookie records data on the way the user navigates and interacts with the site, such as clicks, scrolling and movements on the page. These data are also related to the session in progress and are not stored permanently.	To track the user’s session. It is a question of understanding and recording the user’s activities during a specific visit to the site. Storage of personalised variables for the session. This cookie is used to segment the visit data on the basis of specific data defined by the site. Used for Session Recording and Heatmaps. It helps analyse how users interact with the site by recording their actions and by creating visualisations of their activity.
_ga (Google Analytics)	2 years	Unique Identifier: The cookie generally contains a unique identifier that is used to generate statistics on the way the visitor uses the website. Session Data: It can also include information on the user session, such as visit duration and number of pages consulted.	User Tracking: The _ga cookie is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as client identifier. This enables Google Analytics to calculate the visitor, session and campaign data for the site’s analysis reports. User Behaviour Analysis: This helps website owners to understand how visitors interact with their sites by supplying data such as visit duration, pages consulted and the path followed on the site.
_gid (Google Analytics	24 hours	Unique Session Identifier: The cookie contains a unique identifier that is used to generate statistics on the way the visitor uses the website during a specific session. Session Data : Similar to the _ga cookie, this stores information on the user’s interactions with the website during a particular visit.	User and Session Tracking: Like the _ga cookie, the _gid cookie is used to distinguish the users but is focused principally on session tracking. It helps Google Analytics to understand the interactions of users within a session on a specific website. Performance Analysis: This helps analyse the site’s performances by providing data on user behaviour, such as pages visited, visit duration and the actions effected on the site during a given session.

What cookies are installed on your computer and how to delete them ?

To find out what cookies are installed on your device or to delete them, go to the following addresses for full information and details of procedures:

Firefox	Chrome	Safari	Internet Explorer
https://support.mozilla.org/fr/kb/effacer-cookies-donnees-site-firefox?redirectslug=effacer-les-cookies-pour-supprimer-les-information&redirectlocale=fr	https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=fr	https://support.apple.com/fr-be/guide/safari/manage-cookies-and-website-data-sfri11471/mac	https://support.microsoft.com/fr-be/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies
Firefox (mobile)	Chrome (mobile)	Safari (mobile)	Internet Explorer (mobile)
https://support.mozilla.org/fr/kb/effacer-cookies-donnees-site-firefox?redirectslug=effacer-les-cookies-pour-supprimer-les-information&redirectlocale=fr	https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=fr	https://support.apple.com/fr-be/HT201265	https://support.microsoft.com/fr-be/help/4027947/windows-delete-cookies

You can also use your browser settings (Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, etc.). Consult your browser's help function or support website for more detailed information on activating, deactivating and deleting cookies.
If you use another browser, you will find information and procedures on the www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies website. This site is only available in English.

External links

The Institution's website refers to other sites by providing external links to document certain information. The use of these links is the responsibility of the user, and the sites in question have their own privacy and cookie policies. We advise users to consult these documents.