What are cookies and why do we use them?

Cookies are small text files that are placed onto your computer by websites and/or applications that you visit. Cookies are used to help us improve your experience when using our websites – for example, storing your preferred language setting for the next time you visit.

The information we collect from cookies enables us to:

  • Tailor our websites to your personal needs
  • Remember the notifications that you have been shown, so that you are not shown them again
  • Make improvements and updates to our websites based on the way you want to use them

We generally do not use cookies to identify you personally.

What kind of cookies do we use?

We use the following categories of cookies:

Category 1: necessary cookies Necessary cookies enable you to use our websites and all their features, such as enabling access to secure areas of the website. Without these cookies you may not be able to use all the features of our websites.

Category 2: performance cookies Performance cookies collect information about how you use our websites so we can improve them for you in future. For example, they collect information on which pages you visit most often and any error messages you may get. The information collected by these cookies is anonymous. They do not collect any information that can identify you personally.

  • Google Analytics (universal): we are using Google Universal Analytics to monitor our website performances and check visitor activities to adapt our content based on their expectations

Category 3: functionality cookies
Functionality cookies enable us to provide you with a more personalized experience. They help us to remember data, such as your username and language preference, to save you having to enter them again the next time you visit. The information these cookies collect is anonymous. They cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

How can you manage your cookie settings?

To ensure you get the best possible experience when visiting our websites, we recommend that you accept cookies. However, you can opt-out of each cookie category (except strictly necessary cookies) by clicking on the “cookie settings” button.