Background
When a third party offers a service that cannot be embedded on a europa.eu site and requires the use of a separate, publicly accessible instance hosted by the contractor (e.g. b2match, the whistleblower platform, etc.), your site has no choice but to link to this third-party platform.
Rules
DGs and executive agencies must use a corporate solution as a default solution and host websites on corporate servers (DIGIT Cloud, data centre, etc..).
In cases where no in-house solution is available, you may use a third-party tool that offers the required functionalities. To use a third-party tool or service, you should first see if it is possible to embed it into a europa.eu domain website. Please read our page about embedded third-party tools and services for more information.
If you cannot embed it, you must receive DG COMM’s approval before using the third-party platform. Follow the instructions below to request it.
Procedure
To request COMM’s approval on a third-party platform, you must send a Web Request Form following the procedure described in the revamps and new websites (EU Login required) page of this guide.
Please ensure that only a limited amount of information is published on the external platform.
In addition, you should consult your DG's Data Protection Coordinator (DPC) to prepare a case-specific data protection record and privacy statement. The main Privacy statement for Commission websites cannot be linked from external platforms. See our page about data protection for more information.
Accessibility
Web accessibility is about ensuring that everyone, including people with disabilities, such as visual, hearing, motor or cognitive impairments, is able to use and interact with websites and applications. It is your responsibility to ensure that the platform you are using is accessible. For more information about accessibility testing, please read our section about accessibility.
Contact and support
Need further assistance on this topic? Please contact the team in charge of Europa Domain Management (EU Login required).