Page contents Page contents Introduction This section covers the rules and guidelines applicable to websites, which need functionalities or services not included in the list of corporate solutions (EU Login required). A contractor – called third-party here – provides these functionalities or services embedded in European Commission websites. Third-party tools and services Tools installed on Commission infrastructure but not developed in-house Content produced by data visualisation tools, such as charts, infographics, storytelling webpages (EU Login required) or similar services, must be embedded within a fully compliant Europa webpage. This means, the page must follow the design rules for EC branded harmonised or EU branded harmonised websites. Such visualisations must not be published as standalone URLs or shared via direct links. All dashboards and similar interactive content must be embedded within a contextualised webpage. This ensures visual consistency, a coherent user experience, and compliance with the European Commission’s corporate web identity, data protection and accessibility rules. The direct link to the embedded content must not be visible on the page. Commercial platforms/services that are beyond the control of the Commission Commercial platforms/services that are beyond the control of the Commission can include sites like YouTube videos, social media feeds, etc. These must be embedded via the Cookie Consent Kit (CCK) (EU Login required), containing the blue overlay. Risks of third-party tools and services Using third-party tools and services entails the following risks Certains risks should be considered when using third-party tools and services, such as privacy and data protection: third party products often use permanent cookies and other methods of data collection without a fully transparent consent mechanism business continuity: the European Commission has no influence over maintenance legal uncertainty: terms of use can be changed without notice dependency: Commission webmasters have no control over these tools limited accuracy assurance: providers can change data collection without notice, and use differing methods to collect datasecurity: undesired redirections or malware endorsement: their use can be considered as implicit endorsement by the European institutions, which is a breach of competition rules. Rules DGs and executive agencies must use the corporate solutions as default tools and services. Contact COMM Europa Management (EU Login required), whose DG COMM Europa Team will help you assess the site’s needs and choose amongst existing corporate solutions. As a last resort, they can provide you advice regarding a potential third-party solution. Procedure First, you should start by checking the list of corporate solutions and proceed as described in the page of the solution you have chosen.If there is no corporate solution available for what you need, please send an in-depth needs assessment and justification as to why you need a third-party solution to COMM Europa Management (EU Login required). They will advise you on the best tool or service to use. Third party products/services which require IT investmentWhen the use of a new IT tool/service/platform requires IT investment, you must follow the IT Investment assessment process (EU Login required).Contact your DG’s IT Portfolio Manager (PM) (EU Login required) for more information.Third party products/services which cannot be embedded Please read the third-party platforms page and follow the procedure described when two conditions are met: the service provided by a third party cannot be embedded on a europa.eu site, andit requires the use of a separate, publicly accessible instance hosted by the contractor. Data protection You must comply with the Commission data protection Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 when you process personal data as part of any task relating to the European Commission's web presence.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, can use and interact with websites and applications. To achieve this, the European Commission is making a particular effort to make its corporate solutions compliant with the Web Accessibility Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/2102). There is no guaranty that a third-party solution would be accessible. For more information, please read our section about accessibility. Related links IframesUsing cookies on EUROPA sitesData protectionThird party platformsCorporate solutionsAccessibility Contact and support Need further assistance on this topic? Please contact the team in charge of Europa Domain Management (EU Login required).
