Privacy Policy
Last updated: 14 October 2026
1. Who we are
This website, https://greenforcetwinning.net, presents GreenFORCE – Foster Research Excellence for Green Transition in the Western Balkans, a Twinning project funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme (grant agreement No. 101059411).
The website is operated by the project coordinator, Co-PLAN Institute for Habitat Development (“Co-PLAN”, “we”, “us”), which is the controller of the personal data collected through this website.
- Address: Rruga Bylis 12, Autostrada Tiranë–Durrës km 5, Kashar, 1051 Tirana, Albania
- Email: info@greenforcetwinning.net
- Phone: +355 4 240 74 23
The GreenFORCE consortium also includes Polis University (Albania), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), Nordregio (Sweden), the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Geography (Serbia) and the Center for Economic Analyses (North Macedonia). Where a partner organises its own activity, such as an event, summer school or exchange, and collects personal data for it, that partner may be a separate or joint controller and will inform you about it.
2. Legal framework
We process personal data in accordance with Albanian Law No. 124/2024 “On the Protection of Personal Data”, which is aligned with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, “GDPR”), and, where applicable to our EU partners and activities, with the GDPR itself.
We follow the principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality, and accountability.
3. What data we collect
| Category | What it includes | How we get it |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter | Email address | When you subscribe to our newsletter |
| Enquiries | Name, email, organisation and your message | When you contact us by email or phone |
| Events and learning activities | Name, email, organisation, position, country, and information needed to participate, such as dietary or accessibility needs; for summer schools, exchanges or thesis support also CVs and application documents | When you register for an event or apply for a learning activity |
| Photos and recordings | Photos, videos and recordings taken at project events | When you attend an event where photos or recordings are made, as announced at the event |
| Stakeholders and research participants | Name, organisation, position and professional contact details; contributions to interviews, surveys or workshops | When you take part in project research or stakeholder activities |
| Technical data | IP address, browser and device type, date and time of visit, pages visited | Automatically, from our web server and image delivery service |
Participation in surveys, interviews and workshops is voluntary. Specific information about how research data is collected, stored and anonymised is given to participants before they take part.
4. Why we use your data and on what legal basis
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Sending the project newsletter | Your consent |
| Answering your enquiries | Our legitimate interest in communicating about the project |
| Organising events, summer schools, exchanges and other learning activities | Steps taken at your request and performance of the activity you registered for |
| Dietary or accessibility needs | Your explicit consent |
| Research, surveys and interviews | Your consent, or our legitimate interest in carrying out the project’s research, as explained to participants |
| Publishing event photos and recordings to communicate project results | Our legitimate interest in disseminating project results, or your consent where required |
| Reporting to the European Research Executive Agency (REA) and audits | Legal and contractual obligations under the grant agreement |
| Running and securing the website | Our legitimate interest in a working and secure website |
We do not sell your data, we do not use your data for commercial marketing, we do not use advertising tracking tools, and we do not make automated decisions that have legal effects on you.
5. Cookies and third-party services
Our website uses only cookies that are necessary for it to work and to keep it secure. We do not use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies.
- Optimole – images on the website are delivered through the Optimole image service, which receives your IP address and basic technical data to deliver images efficiently.
- Google Fonts – fonts may be loaded from Google’s servers, which receive your IP address.
- Social media – links to X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube are simple links. These services receive data only if you click them.
You can block or delete cookies at any time in your browser settings.
6. Who we share data with
- Consortium partners – where needed to organise a joint activity or carry out project research, only the data necessary for that purpose.
- The European Commission and the European Research Executive Agency (REA) – for example attendance lists, reports and evidence of activities, as required by the grant agreement, and auditors acting on their behalf.
- Service providers – our website hosting provider, Optimole, our web developer for website maintenance, our email and newsletter service providers, and event venues or online meeting platforms. They act only on our instructions.
- Public authorities – when the law requires it.
Event photos, recordings, publications and lists of speakers may be published on the website and the project’s social media channels to communicate project results.
7. International transfers
Because GreenFORCE is an international project, personal data may be shared between Albania and our partners in the European Union (Italy and Sweden), Serbia and North Macedonia, and with EU institutions. Some technical providers may also process data outside these countries, including in the United States. Such transfers take place only to countries with an adequate level of protection, with appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses, or where the transfer is necessary for an activity you requested, as required by Law No. 124/2024 and the GDPR.
8. How long we keep your data
| Data | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Newsletter email | Until you unsubscribe, or until the newsletter is discontinued |
| Enquiries | 1 year after the last contact |
| Event registrations, attendance lists and project records | For the period required by the grant agreement for audits and checks, usually up to 5 years after the final payment of the project |
| Applications for learning activities | Until the selection is completed and, for selected participants, for the period required by the grant agreement |
| Dietary and accessibility information | Until the end of the activity |
| Research data | As explained to participants in the specific research information; anonymised data may be kept and published as project results |
| Published photos, recordings and publications | For as long as the website and project channels remain online, unless you ask us to remove them |
| Website server logs | 6 months |
After these periods, data is securely deleted or anonymised.
9. Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including an encrypted connection (HTTPS), restricted access to registration and research data, and regular updates of our website software. If a data breach is likely to put your rights at risk, we will notify the competent supervisory authority within 72 hours and, where the risk is high, inform you without undue delay.
10. Your rights
Under Law No. 124/2024 and the GDPR you have the right to:
- access your personal data and receive a copy;
- correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
- erasure, including removal of photos of you, where we are not required to keep the data;
- restrict processing in certain cases;
- object to processing based on our legitimate interests;
- data portability for data you gave us under a contract or consent;
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier processing.
To unsubscribe from the newsletter, use the link in any newsletter email. To exercise your other rights, email info@greenforcetwinning.net with the subject “Personal data request”. We may ask you to confirm your identity. It is free of charge and we will reply within one month.
11. Children
Our website and activities are intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect data from children under 16.
12. Complaints
If you believe your data is processed unlawfully, please contact us first so we can resolve it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority:
- In Albania: Commissioner for the Right to Information and Personal Data Protection, Rr. “Abdi Toptani”, Nd. 5, Tirana – www.idp.al
- In the EU: the data protection authority of the country where you live or work, or where the activity took place.
13. Changes
We may update this policy when the law or our practices change. The current version is always published on this page with the date of the last update at the top.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.