Legal aspects

Table of contents

• General Terms and Conditions of Use (GTCU) of the website.
• Personal data protection.
• Social media presences

Editor of the portal

The portal is the official presentation website of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. As the Grand Duchy's international business card on the web, it gives a unique and non-commercial access to information about the country.

The portal is the property of the Luxembourg State, represented by the Government's Information and Press Service ('Service information et presse', SIP). The Information and Press Service and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs contribute to this portal in order to promote public access to information about the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

General Terms and Conditions of Use (GTCU) of the website.

Any person using the information, documents, products, software and/or services (hereinafter collectively referred to as the 'Services') offered by this website shall be deemed to be aware of, and to have accepted, all the provisions of these general terms and conditions of use.

‘Body’ means the government authority, ministry, administration, or any other government organisation that is solely or jointly responsible for this portal.

User obligations

The portal is accessible via the internet. The user declares that they are aware of the risks involved and accept those risks. They must guard against the effects of computer hacking by implementing suitable and secure computer settings. ​

The Luxembourg State accepts no liability for any loss or damage which the user may suffer, directly or indirectly, in connection with browsing on this website or using the services which it offers, or from accessing any of the other internet websites to which it refers.

Use of the portal is free. ​

Cookies management

This portal uses client-side cookies. These are small text files that are used to analyse users' browsing patterns and habits (frequency and duration of visits, pages viewed, etc.). ​

They are sent by the portal and stored in a special folder on the user's computer. In particular, they contain the name of the server that wrote it, an identifier in the form of a unique number and an expiry date. The unique identifier allows the website to 'remember' the user's computer whenever they visit the website. Session cookies are deleted from the user's computer when the session is closed. However, persistent cookies remain on the user's computer for one month after the end of the session.

The user can decide whether or not to allow the portal to store cookies on their computer. They may change their browser settings at any time to prevent cookies from being accepted and stored. Additionally, from their browser, the user can delete any cookies that have already been stored on their computer (see the Cookies Policy).

The use of certain features of this site may be limited or disabled if the user does not accept cookies from the website. Hence, it is recommended that users update their browser settings to accept cookies from the website.

Modification of the portal

The Luxembourg State reserves the right to develop, modify or suspend this website, without prior notice, for maintenance or updating purposes or for any other reason which may be considered necessary.

In particular, the Luxembourg State may at any time withdraw, add, supplement or clarify all or any part of the information and Services contained in or offered on this website. The Luxembourg State may not be held liable for any direct or indirect damage in connection with such modifications.

General limitations of liability ​

The Luxembourg State will use its best endeavors to ensure that this website is as widely available as possible. However, it accepts no liability should the website become temporarily or wholly unavailable.

The Luxembourg State will use its best endeavors to ensure the security of the computer system. However, it accepts no liability in the event of a cyberattack or the website becoming temporarily or wholly unavailable.

The Luxembourg State will use its best endeavours to ensure that the information published on the portal and on social networks is accurate. However, it may not be held liable, in particular in the event of omission to update information or a form, in the event of errors in the handling of the system or encoding, inaccuracies, gaps in the information provided or any errors or inaccuracies. The aim is to disseminate accurate, up-to-date information emanating from a variety of sources, but the Luxembourg State is unable to avoid all risks of material error. None of the information published on this portal should be considered as exhaustive or as a commitment from the State. Simplified versions and translations are provided for information only. Only legal texts published in the Mémorial (Official Journal of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) shall be deemed authoritative. The information appearing on this portal is of a general nature. It is not tailored to personal or specific circumstances, and therefore cannot be regarded as constituting personal, professional or legal advice to the user. If the user needs personal or specific advice, they should always consult the competent departments within the different administrative bodies. ​

Limitations of the portal's liability ​

The portal expressly cannot accept liability for any consequences, whether direct or indirect, arising from: ​

• Incompatibility between the service offered and the equipment, applications, procedures or infrastructures of the user or of any third party;
• Any security breaches caused by the user or a third party, and more generally any security breaches not directly attributable to the portal;
• Any errors and/or fraudulent acts committed by the user or a third party;
• Any unavailability or malfunction of electronic communication systems or networks.

Links to related sites ​

For users' convenience, this portal may contain links to other websites which they may find useful or interesting. The Luxembourg State, and more specifically the ‘Body’, does not systematically monitor the content of those websites. Consequently, they may not be held liable for the content of those websites, and particularly for the legality or accuracy of such content.

Intellectual property

The portal, all the elements contained therein (including the layout), and the information and services are protected by the relevant intellectual property and copyright laws.

Unless otherwise stated, the copyright on the content of the portal is held by the State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. ​

Unless otherwise specified, the Luxembourg State grants no license or authorisation with regard to the intellectual property rights which it holds in respect of the portal, the elements it contains, or the Services. Furthermore, the services may not be reproduced in full or in part, in any form whatsoever, and using any means whatsoever, without first obtaining written authorisation from the Body.

Unless otherwise specified, the user is authorised to consult, download and print the documents and information available under the following conditions:​

• the documents may only be used personally, for information purposes, and in a strictly private context;
• the documents and information may not be altered in any way;
• the documents and information may not be distributed outside the portal.

The above rights that are implicitly and explicitly granted to users constitute authorisation of use and in no way constitute a transfer of ownership of rights, property or anything else in respect to this portal.

For all use other than as stipulated above, please contact us using the contact form.

Changes to the General Terms and Conditions of Use

These general terms and conditions of use maybe modified or supplemented at any time, without prior notice, in line with changes made to this website or changes in the law, or for any other reason which may be considered necessary. It is the responsibility of the users to acquaint themselves with the general terms and conditions of use of this site, of which only the most up-to-date version accessible online shall be deemed to be in force. It is possible that, in the interval between two visits to the portal, the general terms and conditions of use may have changed, and thus it is the user's responsibility to read through those conditions before using the portal once again.

Applicable law and competent courts

Any dispute concerning the use of this portal and its Services shall be subject to Luxembourg law and shall fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Precisions on the terms and conditions of use of the application 'Emoxies'

The emoxies.lu website, the Emoxies application and their content are the property of the Luxembourg State, represented by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

Unless otherwise specified, the user is authorised to consult, download or print documents of the image (Emoxies) and animated image (GIF Emoxies) type without prior request.

The application and the website are intended for personal, non-commercial use. Any use of the content of the website, the application or any other element composing the website and the application outside this personal and private use requires the prior written authorisation of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

The rights granted to you, implicitly or explicitly, constitute an authorisation for use and in no case an assignment of rights, property or otherwise relating to this website and the application.

For all uses other than those stipulated above, please send us your request by email to info@inspiringluxembourg.lu.

If the user notices an anomaly or encounters any problems with the application, they are invited to inform us by means of the following email address: info@inspiringluxembourg.lu.

In general, for any complaint, the user can contact the publisher of the website and the application at the following address:info@inspiringluxembourg.lu and the following phone number: (+352) 247-72436.

Personal data protection.

General information

The personal data communicated by the user are processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.

The Luxembourg State collects no personal data other than the IP addresses contained in the server logs. These are collected for security reasons. User consent is not required before visiting this portal.

The controller for these processing operations is the ‘Body’ that is responsible for this portal. ​

Users can file claims relating to the protection of their personal data through the various communication channels available, and directly to the controller who, in this case, is the ‘Body’ responsible for this portal. Users can also file claims with the ‘Body’'s data protection officer at the following email address: dataprotection@sip.etat.lu. Users may also refer to the National Commission for Data Protection (Commission nationale pour la protection des données), headquartered at  15 Boulevard du Jazz, L-4370 Belvaux.

Portal contact form ​

The information about you collected through the portal contact form needs to be processed by the ‘Body’ concerned to deal with your request. ​

By filling in the form, you agree that your personal data may be processed as part of the processing of your request. The data are retained by the ‘Body’ in question for as long as needed to achieve the purpose of the processing operation(s).

As the retention period for personal data depends on the type of request, the ‘Body’ will communicate the applicable retention period, or the criteria used to determine it, on request, on a case-by-case basis. ​

The recipient of your data is the ‘Body’ responsible for processing your request. Please contact the ‘Body’ you are filing your request/application with to find out who the recipients of the data in this form are.

Under the terms of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, you have the right to access, rectify and, where applicable, request the erasure of any information relating to you. ​ You are also entitled to withdraw your consent at any time. ​

Additionally, unless the processing of your personal data is compulsory, you may, with legitimate reasons, oppose the processing of such data.

If you wish to exercise these rights and/or obtain a record of the information held about you, please contact the concerned ‘Body’ using the contact details provided on the form. You are also entitled to file a claim with the National Commission for Data Protection (Commission nationale pour la protection des données), headquartered at  15 Boulevard du Jazz, L-4370 Belvaux .

Processing related to audience measurement ​

Certain data relating to the user's hardware and software, which are not capable of revealing the user's identity, are collected when they visit the public-domain portal. The sole purpose of collecting such data is to garner statistics on website traffic (type of browser, resolution, approximate location, and so on) in order to provide users with the best possible experience.

The user's full IP address is not retained under any circumstances. Only part of the IP address is retained for the purpose of computing overall statistics, and there is no way of identifying users.

This data is retained and hosted in Europe, in a solution provided by a subcontractor – specifically, Adobe Systems Inc. – who, as such, is subject to the same legal obligations regarding the protection of personal data, if this data were to be harvested in the future. ​

The data are retained for no longer than is necessary to observe how audiences evolve as a function of browser use, resolution settings or other available statistical data. ​

The controller for these processing operations is the Body responsible for this website. ​

Processing related to online surveys ​

Users' data is harvested, with their permission, for the sole purposes of conducting surveys for the State's administrative bodies. In addition, technical audience-measurement data are collected at the same time.

The data is retained for the duration of the survey, plus a few weeks for the results to be statistically analysed. ​

These surveys are conducted directly on the website of a subcontractor – specifically, surveygizmo.eu, developed by Widgix Limited – located in the United States. The data is hosted in Europe. That subcontractor is subject to the same legal obligations regarding the protection of personal data, as the surveys are carried out for or by users from the European Union.

The procedures by which these surveys are carried out are such that none of the collected data can be used to personally identify the user. Even by combining technical identifier data (IP address or information about the user's browser or device) and data harvested from multiple surveys, the subcontractor operating the platform would still be unable to personally identify the users.

The data controller and the data recipient is the Body responsible for the portal, and which commissioned the survey. ​

The components 'Quiz' and 'Vote' on this website’s homepage are anonymous surveys without scientific value. The results of the 'Quiz' are not saved. The results of the 'Vote' are only used in the graphical representation of the poll results.

Processing linked to newsletter management

The email address provided by the user when they sign up for the website newsletter will be shared with a subcontractor for the sole purpose of disseminating the newsletter. That subcontractor – Mailjet, based in Paris, France – is subject to the same legal obligations with regard to the protection of personal data. To prevent abuse of the system, the user must confirm their subscription by clicking on a link sent to the email address they provided.

The user may unsubscribe at any time using a link provided in each email, or by contacting the Body responsible for the website. In the event of problems using the newsletter, the user must also contact the Body responsible for the site.  The user's data will not be kept for longer than their subscription lasts.

The controller for these processing operations is the Body responsible for this website. ​

Presence on the social networks

Moderation policy ​

Any user who joins this website's social-networks community undertakes to refrain from any form of discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, disability, marital or employment status. ​

Comments which are insulting, racist, sexist or offensive have no place on the social networks. They will be deleted and reported.

Languages

The primary language used by this website on the social networks is English and/or French. Depending on the situation and on the target audiences, information may be published in the other two national languages (German and Luxembourgish).

As far as possible, replies to all questions and comments will be in the user's language.