Privacy Policy

1.1 Responsibility and Data Protection Officer

Responsibility for the processing of personal data lies with the

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Scharnhorststr. 34-37
10115 Berlin
Postal address: 11019 Berlin
Email: info(at)bmwk.bund.de
Website: www.bmwk.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 18615 0

If you have any specific questions about the protection of your data at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, please contact the Ministry’s Data Protection Officer:

Data Protection Officer for the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Scharnhorststr. 34-37
10115 Berlin
Email: datenschutzbeauftragte@bmwk.bund.de

1.2 Personal Data

"Personal data" is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. An identifiable natural person is someone who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, and/or an online identifier.

1.3 Protection of minors

Children and persons under 16 years of age should not transmit any personal data to us without the consent of their parents or legal guardians.

Should it happen that persons under 16 years of age do contact the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action by email, contact form, letter etc., Points 3.1, 3.3, 3.6 through 3.10 shall apply. Points. 3.4 and 3.11 apply in cases whereby the data is necessary for a visit to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

1.4 Legislation governing the processing of personal data

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action processes personal data as it carries out the tasks of public interest that are assigned to it. These public duties particularly include public relations work, which also involves providing information for the public on this website. The processing of personal data in this context is based on Art. 6 (1) (e) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in conjunction with the relevant national or European standards, or in conjunction with Section 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act. The same applies to applications made to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the processing of which requires the ministry to process personal data (e.g. applications for funding or for access to information under the German Freedom of Information Act, the Environmental Information Act or press law). Insofar as the processing of personal data is, in individual cases, required in order to fulfil a legal obligation, this is based on Article 6 (1) (c ) GDPR in conjunction with the relevant legal provisions under which the legal obligation arises.

Insofar as we obtain the consent of the data subject to process his/her personal data, this is based on Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR.

In individual cases, the processing of personal data required for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party is based on Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR. This also applies to processing operations necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures. As a contracting party under civil law, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is particularly active in the field of personnel recruitment and procurement.

In the event that vital interests of the data subject or another natural person make it necessary to process personal data, this is based on Art. 6 (1) (d) GDPR.

1.5 Processing of personal data from the ministry’s executive agencies

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action has 6 executive agencies: Bundeskartellamt, Bundesnetzagentur, Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt and Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources. As the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is responsible for supervising the work of these agencies, personal data may be transferred to and processed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

2.1 Data capturing

Whenever a user accesses our website and whenever a file is accessed, data relating to this is temporarily processed in a log file. More specifically, the following data is stored for every single access/download:

• Date and time (time stamp), IP address of the device or server used
• Details of the request and target address (log version, HTTP method, referrer, user-agent string),
• Name of the file accessed, volume of data transferred (URL including query string, file size in byte) and
• confirmation as to whether the request was successful (HTTP status code).

We are obliged under Article 6 (1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 5 Federal Office for Information Security Act to store these data in order to protect the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action's internet infrastructure and the federal communications technology system from attack; such data must be stored beyond the time of your visit. These data are analysed and may be used for legal and criminal proceedings in the event of an attack on the communications technology system. The data will be deleted as soon as they are no longer needed for the intended purpose.

Data collected from visits to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action's web resources and stored on log files is transmitted to third parties only when required by law, or if attacks on the federal communications technology system make it necessary to forward such data for purposes of legal action or criminal prosecution. Data will not be transferred for any other reason. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action does not collate these data with data from other sources.

2.2 Session cookies

We use session cookies for our brochure services and to display banners. These cookies are valid for the duration of your visit to the website.These cookies are required for technical reasons, as the shopping basket and the banners could not work without them. Article 6 (1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act provides the legal basis for the use of these session cookies as part of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action's PR activities, which are designed to meet the demand for information about the Ministry's work in the areas entrusted to it. This includes orders as part of contracts concluded on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR.

Session cookies are small information units that a provider stores in the active memory of the visiting user's computer. A randomly generated, unique ID - known as a session ID - is stored in a session cookie. Cookies also contain information regarding their origin and the period of time for which they are to be stored on a computer. This type of cookie cannot store any other data. The session ID is used to group your orders together in your shopping basket.

Session cookies are deleted as soon as you end your session. As soon as you close your browser window or navigate to a different website, your shopping basket will be reset. This means that if you end your session before placing your order, you will have to fill your shopping basket again.

You can use any internet browser to be informed whenever a cookie is set and to see what information is stored in it. For more detailed information, visit the websites of the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information and of the Federal Office for Information Security.

There are also persistent cookies, which allow a provider to remember visitors even if they do not return until after a longer period of time. These cookies are stored as a text file on the hard drive of the user's computer. We do not use this type of cookie on our website.

Most browsers' default settings will result in cookies being accepted automatically. It is, however, possible to disable the use of cookies or to change your browser settings to 'session cookies only', which means that all cookies are deleted as soon as you disconnect from the internet.

If you choose to disable the use of cookies altogether,

• you will not be able to collect different publications into your shopping basket, and
• you can only order one brochure at a time.

2.3 Web analysis

You can decide whether, in addition to accepting strictly necessary cookies, you also permit us to use matomo to collect statistical information. The pseudonymised evaluations by this software help us improve our websites. 

The ways in which personal data is processed depend on the channel of communication used, i.e. whether the Ministry is contacted by email, its contact form, by mail or by telephone (hotline).

3.1 Contacting the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action by email

In addition to contacting staff at their personalised official email addresses, or by writing to one of the various office mail boxes, it is also possible to contact the Ministry at: info(at)bmwk.bund.de, our central inbox. In the latter case, the sender’s IP address will be recorded alongside the date and time of the query. The personal data sent to this central inbox and stored by the unit responsible for forwarding messages to the recipient responsible for the matter in hand will be deleted one year after the message is forwarded. For queries made to our Citizens’ Dialogue and our Visitor Services teams, please note the information in 3.3 and 3.4 below.

The units will store the data transmitted by you (e.g. name, first name, address), and at least your email address and all information contained in your email (including any personal data you transmit in this way) for the purpose of contacting you and answering your query. The data will be stored in accordance with the statutory time limits for retaining written records as per the Registry Directive, which applies in conjunction with the Joint Rules of Procedure of the federal ministries. We would like to inform you that data is processed in line with Article 6(1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act. We need to process the data you transmit so that we can answer your query.

The IP address will only be used for the purpose of public prosecution under criminal law and to combat threats in line with the applicable legislation.

3.2 External email addresses

The Ministry’s website also lists third party email addresses for various fields of expertise. These are email addresses that do not end in “@bmwi.bund.de”. Should you choose to write to any of these email addresses, please note that the ministry has no responsibility regarding the processing of personal data transmitted to these addresses. If you have any questions about the way in which your personal data is handled by the relevant third party, please contact them.

3.3 Contacting the Ministry using the contact form of visitor services

You can use the Ministry’s website and this form to contact our Citizen’s Dialogue team at the Ministry. You can choose to indicate your address, so that we can answer your query by mail – if you expressly ask for this. The sender’s IP address will be recorded. The same is also true if you send a standard email to buergerdialog(at)bmwk.bund.de. alongside the date and time of your query.

By ticking the box and dispatching the contact form, you declare your consent as per Article 6 (1) (e) GDPR to the transmission and storing of your personal data and your IP address. Your personal data will be processed and stored for the purpose of answering your query. The IP address will only be used for the purpose of public prosecution under criminal law and to combat threats in line with the applicable legislation.

If you use the contact form to communicate with our Citizens’ Dialogue team, the content of the data fields will be transmitted only to that specific team within the Ministry.

All content submitted via the contact form to our Citizens’ Dialogue team is transmitted via an encrypted https link.

If we receive a message from you via the contact form or via email, we assume that we have the right to respond via email. Otherwise, you must explicitly ask us to use another channel of communication.

Your query will be processed by our staff at the Citizens’ Dialogue team. Our expert divisions will support them as needed. The Citizens’ Dialogue team will store the data transmitted by you (e.g. name, first name, address), and all information contained in your email (including any personal data you transmit in this way) for the purpose of contacting you and answering your query; the information will be stored for the periods of time set out in the Registry Directive, which applies in conjunction with the Joint Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries. We would like to inform you that data is processed in line with Article 6(1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act. We need to process the personal data you transmit so that we can answer your query.

If you give your consent in the contact form to have your query referred to other state and federal authorities if this is necessary to answer your query, such referral will be made in compliance with data protection rules.

If you do not wish to have your data processed, you can terminate the process of contacting us at any time prior to submitting your request. In this case, your data will not be stored. You can withdraw your consent. Any processing of data that takes place on the basis of your consent until receipt of the revocation continues to be lawful.

3.4 Contacting the Ministry using the contact form of visitor services

The Ministry regularly hosts groups of visitors wishing to learn more about the Ministry’s work. If you are using the Contact form to communicate with Visitor Services, you will need to indicate how we should address you (Mr, Ms, Dr etc.), your name and first name, your email address, phone number, the date for which you would like to arrange a visit, and the number of participants. Without this data, the query you submitted via the contact form cannot be processed. In the latter case, the sender’s IP address will be recorded. The same is also true if you send a standard email to buergerdialog(at)bmwk.bund.de or buergerdialog(at)bmwk.bund.de alongside the date and time of your query.

By ticking the box and dispatching the contact form, you declare your consent as per Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR to the transmission and storing of your personal data and your IP address. Your personal data will be processed and stored for the purpose of answering your query. The IP address will only be used for the purpose of public prosecution under criminal law and to combat threats in line with the applicable legislation.

If you use the contact form to communicate with our Visitor Services team, the content of the data fields will be transmitted only to that specific team within the Ministry. By sending your query, you consent to your query being forwarded to third parties, in particular our security and safety service, if and to the extent that this is necessary for your query to be processed.

All content submitted via the contact forms of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is transmitted via an encrypted https link.

If we receive a message from you via the contact form or via email, we assume that we have the right to respond via email. Otherwise, you must explicitly ask us to use another channel of communication.

The query you submit to us via the contact form will be processed by our Visitor Services staff.

According to an assessment by the security authorities, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is subject to a high level of abstract threat on account of its role and its remit. This means that there is a correspondingly high need to protect everyone on the premises. In order to be able to give you access to the premises, the Ministry must record the names and first names and the dates of birth of all visitors prior to their visit. Other data such as the visiting institution, type of school, association or accessibility needs only serve for better preparation of your visit and are optional. For operational reasons, visitors’ names, first names and dates of birth are stored in an IT-based system and checked against your passport/identity card when you enter the premises.

The Ministry’s Visitor Services team will store the data transmitted by you for the purpose of contacting you and answering your query; the information will be stored for the periods of time set out in the Registry Directive, which applies in conjunction with the Joint Rules of Procedure of the federal ministries.

We would like to inform you that data is processed in line with Article 6(1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act. We need to process the personal data you transmit so that we can answer your query.

If you do not wish to have your data processed, you can terminate the process of contacting us at any time prior to submitting your request. In this case, your data will not be stored. You can withdraw your consent. Any processing of data that takes place on the basis of your consent until receipt of the revocation continues to be lawful.

3.5 Contact via the registration for the INVEST database

If you are using the form to register for the INVEST database, you will need to indicate how we should address you (Mr, Ms, Dr etc.), your name and first name, your email address, and details about your company. Without this information, we will not be able to process your registration alongside the date and time of your query.

If we receive a message from you via the registration form or via email, we assume that we have the right to respond via email. Otherwise, you must explicitly ask us to use another channel of communication.

All content submitted via the registration form of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is transmitted via an encrypted https link.

We would like to inform you that data transmitted via the registration form (which may included personal data provided by you) is processed in line with Article 6(1) (a) GDPR (consent), and for the purpose of answering your query.

If you use the registration form, the content of the data fields will be transmitted only to our Internet Presentation team. In the latter case, the sender’s IP address will be recorded. By ticking the box and dispatching the registration form, you declare your consent as per Article 6 (1) (e) GDPR to the transmission and storing of your personal data and your IP address. For the purpose of answering your query, your personal data will be processed and stored for a limited time. The IP address will only be used for the purpose of public prosecution under criminal law and to combat threats in line with the applicable legislation.

By sending your query, you consent to your query being forwarded to third parties, should this be necessary for your query to be processed.

The query you submit to us via the registration form will be processed by our Internet Presentation staff. You data will be stored by our Internet Presentation team for the purposes of answering your query and in line with applicable legislation and contractual agreements. The data will be deleted automatically after three years. Your query may be forwarded to the competent experts in the event that our Internet Presentation team is unable to process it.

Should your data be forwarded, it will be stored in accordance with the statutory time limits for retaining written records as per the Registry Directive, which applies in conjunction with the Joint Rules of Procedure of the federal ministries.

If you do not wish to have your data processed, you can terminate the process of contacting us at any time prior to submitting your request. In this case, your data will not be stored. You can withdraw your consent. Please take note, however, that, as the Registry Directive applies, your data will not be deleted immediately.

3.6 Contacting the Ministry by post

If you write a letter to the Ministry, the data transmitted by you (e.g. name, first name, address), and all information contained in your letter (including any personal data you transmit in this way) will be stored for the purpose of contacting you and answering your query. The data will be stored in accordance with the statutory time limits for retaining written records as per the Registry Directive, which applies in conjunction with the Joint Rules of Procedure of the federal ministries.
We would like to inform you that data is processed in line with Article 6(1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act. We need to process the personal data you transmit so that we can answer your query.

3.7 Contacting the Ministry by fax

If you send a fax to the Ministry, the data transmitted by you (e.g. name, first name, address), and all information contained in your fax (including any personal data you transmit in this way)will be stored for the purpose of contacting you and answering your query; the information will be stored for the periods of time set out in the Registry Directive, which applies in conjunction with the Joint Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries. We would like to inform you that data is processed in line with Article 6(1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act. We need to process the personal data you transmit so that we can answer your query.

3.8 Contacting the Ministry by phone

If you call the Ministry by phone, personal data will be processed to the extent that this is necessary for processing your query. We would like to inform you that data is processed in line with Article 6(1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act.

3.9 Contacting our Citizens’ Dialogue team

Should you call our Citizens’ Dialogue team at +49 30 18615 0 or +49 30 18615 6187, your name (including the first name should you indicate this, your telephone number, and the date of your call will be recorded. Your postal address and/or email address will only be recorded if this is necessary for further communication and for processing your query.

The data you provide by fax will be stored for the purposes of contacting you and processing your query. This data will be stored in accordance with the statutory time limits for retaining written records as per the Registry Directive, which applies in conjunction with the Joint Rules of Procedure of the federal ministries. We would like to inform you that data is processed in line with Article 6(1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act.

3.10 Referral of queries that do not fall within the Ministry’s remit

If your query does not fall within the remit of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, we can refer the matter to other authorities at state and federal level without your consent and in line with data protection rules if we can assume that the transfer is in the person’s interest in terms of answering their query, and if no personal data of a sensitive nature is being transferred (Article 6 (1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act; Section 25 (1) in conjunction with Section 23 (1) (1) Federal Data Protection Act).

3.11 Other visitors

The Ministry also welcomes individual visitors if there is a reason for the visit. In order to be able to give you access to the premises, the Ministry must record the names and first names and the dates of birth of all participants prior to their visit; this is necessary for the Ministry to be able to discharge its duties (PR work or work at expert level) as per Section 6 (1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act.

Other data such as the visiting institution, type of school, association or accessibility needs only serve for better preparation of your visit and are optional. This data will be processed for the purpose of your visit to our experts or for informational purposes on the basis of your consent as per Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Any processing of data that takes place on the basis of your consent until receipt of the revocation continues to be lawful.

According to an assessment by the security authorities, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is subject to a high level of abstract threat on account of its role and its remit. This means that there is a correspondingly high need to protect everyone on the premises. For operational reasons, visitors’ names, first names and dates of birth are stored in an IT-based system and checked against your passport/identity card when you enter the premises.

By providing the personal data, visitors consent to this data being processed for the above purpose.

The personal data provided by visitors to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and stored in our IT system (name, first name, date of birth) will be recorded after one year, along with any additional data provided by you.

The Ministry is active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

As part of its editorial duties within these social networks, the Ministry processes data of people who interact with the Ministry. This requires data to be stored temporarily by a service provider. The data is stored on a server located in the European Union and extends to the following: name of profile and account, content of the query, number of followers and profiles following the profile, latest tweets. This data is stored for the duration of six months.

We would like to inform you that data is processed in line with Article 6(1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 Federal Data Protection Act. We need to process the personal data you transmit so that we can answer your query.

We also explicitly draw your attention to the fact that the services used by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action store user data (e.g. personal information, IP address etc.) in line with their own guidelines on data usage and use it for commercial purposes.The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action has no influence on the collection and use of data by social networks. We are unable to ascertain the extent, the location and the duration of the data capture, the extent to which the networks meet obligations to delete data, what evaluations and links pertaining to the data are made, and to whom data is forwarded.

For information about the type of data processed by Twitter and for what purposes, consult their Privacy Policy (in German).

For information about the type of data processed by Facebook and for what purposes, consult their Privacy Policy (in German).

For information about the type of data processed by Instagram and for what purposes, consult their Privacy Policy (in German).

For information about the type of data processed by YouTube and for what purposes, consult their Privacy Policy (in German).

As some of these companies are based outside the European Union with only one European office in Ireland, their legal interpretation is that they are not bound by European or German data protection rules. This also affects your right of information, the right to have data blocked or deleted, or the possibility to object to your user data being used for advertising purposes.

How and what type of personal data is processed will depend on the channels used to provide information. We distinguish between our newsletters, printed documents, and informational visits to the Ministry.

5.1 Data for newsletter distribution

If you subscribe to one of the Ministry’s newsletters, your email address, the date and time of your subscription, and the type of newsletter you have selected will be stored by us on a server. Your data is being processed on the basis of your consent as per Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent). We use this data exclusively for distributing our newsletters and for statistical analyses designed to measure our system’s performance. We will not transmit your data to third parties who are not acting on our behalf for this purpose, and will not use them for any other internal purposes.

Our subscription system will ask you to confirm your subscription once more (double opt-in) to ensure that you explicitly wish to subscribe to this newsletter.

Upon subscription, your data will be stored on our server and a confirmation message containing a link to the second and final subscription will be automatically sent to the email address you indicated. Unless you confirm your subscription by using the link contained in this email, your data will be deleted after 48 hours.

Only once you have used the confirmation link will your data used for newsletter distribution be stored for as long as you use our newsletter.

Should you decide that you no longer agree to your data being stored for this purpose and that you do not want to use the newsletter service any longer, you can unsubscribe at any time. The data indicated by you will be deleted in this process, unless we are obliged to store it for a longer period of time. To unsubscribe, follow this link. You will need the email address you indicated when you subscribed to the newsletter.

5.2 Ordering printed documents

If you use this website to order brochures, leaflets or other types of printed documents, we will need to process your personal data in order to conduct pre-contractual measures and meet our contractual obligations (provision of printed documents) as per Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR.

You will need to provide the following personal data:

• Name
• Street, house number
• Postcode and town/city
• Email

This data will be processed along with your order. If we cannot complete the order process ourselves, your data will be transmitted to third parties (logistics company, if necessary other authorities or institutions to the extent that these dispatch the material). Without the above data, we will not be able to process your order. Additional information (whether we should address you as Mr/Ms/Mrs/Dr etc., the name of your company, and the country) is not necessary, but would be helpful for us to prepare your order.

The data provided by you will be anonymised 90 days after the order is completed.

You have the following rights with regard to the personal data concerning your person:

• Right of access, Art. 15 GDPR
  The right of access confers on the data subject a comprehensive right of access to the data concerning his/her person and to certain important information-related criteria, such as the purposes for which it is processed or the duration for which it will be stored. The exceptions to this right regulated in Section 34 Federal Data Protection Act apply.
   
• Right to rectification, Art. 16 GDPR
  The right of rectification includes the possibility for the data subject to have inaccurate personal data corrected.

• Right to erasure, Art. 17 GDPR
  The right to erasure includes the possibility for the data subject to have data deleted by the party responsible. However, this is only possible if the personal data concerning his/her person are no longer needed, are processed unlawfully or if the relevant consent has been revoked. The exceptions to this right regulated in Section 35 Federal Data Protection Act apply.

• Right to restriction of processing, Art. 18 GDPR
  The right to restrict the processing includes the possibility for the data subject to prevent further processing of personal data concerning his/her person for the time being. A restriction particularly occurs pending verification of the exercise of other rights of the data subject.

• Right to object to collection, processing and/or use, Art. 21 GDPR
  The right to object includes the possibility for data subjects to object, in a particular situation, to the further processing of their personal data, insofar as this is justified by the exercise of public functions or of public or private interests. The exceptions to this right regulated in Section 36 Federal Data Protection Act apply.

• Right to data portability, Art. 20 GDPR
  The right to data portability includes the possibility for the data subject to obtain the personal data concerning his/her person from the person responsible in a standard, machine-readable format, in order to be able to forward them to another person responsible if necessary. According to Art. 20 (3) sentence 2 GDPR, however, this right does not apply if the data processing serves the performance of public tasks.
• Right to revoke consent, Art. 13 and 14 GDPR
  If personal data is processed on the basis of consent, the data subject may revoke such consent at any time for the purpose for which it was given. The lawfulness of the processing undertaken on the basis of this consent remains unaffected until receipt of the revocation.

You can assert the aforementioned rights in writing using the contact details set out in Section 1.1.

Pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR, you also have the right to appeal to the data protection supervisory authority: the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (in German).

You can also contact the Ministry’s Data Protection Officers under Section 1.1 if you have any questions or complaints.