This page contains our policy on the deployment of cookies. Here, you can learn what cookies are, what types of cookies exist, how and for what purposes we use them, and how you can adjust the usage of cookies on your device.

This Cookie Policy is integrated part of the Terms and Conditions and of the Privacy Policy.

Cookie Settings

Cookies are very small text files that your internet browser stores on your computer when you visit a website. On our web presence, we use cookies for a variety of purposes, which overall make it more user friendly, more effective and more secure.

Cookies are categorised according to their storage period (session cookies vs. persistent cookies), with respect to the generating party (first party vs. third party cookies) and most notably according to their intended use. In the following sections, each of these categories is explained one by one.

While you are using a website, a session cookie is temporarily stored in your computer's memory; this is done by a session ID being stored so that, for example, you do not have to log in again every time you change the page. Session cookies are deleted when you log off. Otherwise, they expire automatically as soon as your session ends.

In contrast to session cookies, the storage duration of the information of persistent cookies does not end with the session. A persistent cookie is stored on your device for a fixed period of time until its expiration date. Using these cookies, websites remember your information and settings on your next visit. This makes accessing the websites faster and more user-friendly, for example because you do not have to re-enter form data or configure your language setting again. These cookies, also, lose their validity once the expiration date is reached.

These cookies are placed by the website you visit itself. That is, the owner stored in the cookie is the same domain as can be seen in the browser's address bar. First party cookies can only be read by that particular website. These cookies are normally used to store information that will be re-used on your next visit to the website (your settings, for example).

Third-party cookies stem from parties other than the operator of the visited website. Very much like a website can contain contents from different servers (e.g., images, ads, movies), it is also possible that cookies are delivered by third parties. They can be used to generate web statistics, to collect information on personal interests for improved advertising, or user-defined content, for example.

Next to the ones mentioned above, many website operators also list social media cookies as a separate cookie category. They refer to cookies placed by social networks like Facebook or Twitter, for example. This usually happens when buttons to "share" site contents on the respective social media platform are included on a page.

We do not include any links to social media networks in our Internet presence, so no social media cookies are utilised.

The technical term for cookies is "HTTP Cookies". However, there are other technologies that fulfil similar purposes, e.g., Local Storage in HTML5 or Web Beacons (tiny images, also known as "tracking pixels" or "clear GIFs"). In this policy, when we refer to "cookies", this also includes similar technologies like the examples given above.

Depending on the purpose of their use, cookies are classified into the following categories:

Essential cookies are strictly required to navigate on a website and to provide basic features and services. Without these cookies, some fundamental functions could not by provided. Therefore, essential cookies do not require consent and are always active.

Legal basis is the fulfilment of contractual obligations acc. Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR or the preservation of legitimate interests, in particular the provision of the website with its essential functions, acc. Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

Functional cookies make it possible to remember the actions and input that a user makes during a visit. This allows us to provide you with an improved, personalised user experience. For example, functional cookies are used for the language selection.

The legal basis is the safeguarding of legitimate interests, in particular the personalisation of the website, the improvement of the ease of use and the optimisation of the attractiveness of the offer, acc. Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

These cookies are used to collect information to monitor the traffic on our website and to analyse how visitors are using our services. For example, these cookies may track things such as how long visitors spend on a page or if a request results in an error. This helps us to understand how we can improve our website to make it better suited for your needs. The information collected through tracking and performance cookies are aggregated and anonymised and cannot be used to identify individual visitors.

Legal basis is the protection of legitimate interests, in particular the continuous improvement of the functionality and increase the attractiveness of the website, acc. Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

Cookies of this type are used to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and to limit the number of ad repetitions. These cookies, usually served by content and/or advertising providers, may combine information they collected from our website with other information they have independently collected relating to your web browser's activities across their network of websites. If you choose to remove or disable these targeting or advertising cookies, you will still see adverts, but they may not be of interest to you.

The legal basis is the preservation of legitimate interests, in this context, the playout of personalised advertising content and the increase in advertising efficiency, acc. Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

The page Cookie Settings offers the possibility to adjust the usage of cookies on this website to your personal preferences.

Please note that changes to these settings only affect the particular browser that is currently in use. If you use different browsers or change device, you will have to adjust the settings again.

In addition to the individual settings for this website, every common browser offers a possibility to control the usage of cookies. The usual options include to accept or decline every cookie, to allow only specific types of cookies, or to display a warning when a website wants to store a cookie. Also, most browsers include a function to display all cookies that have already been stored on the device and, if desired, to delete them.

The exact method to control and delete cookies differs from browser to browser. You can find a suitable description via the help function of the respective browser. Alternatively, the website www.aboutcookies.org provides an overview of how to display or delete cookies for a good choice of browsers.

Note: If you prevent or restrict the usage of cookies in any way, this may result in a degraded functionality of an internet presence. The basic functions will remain operable even then, however.

The legal basis for the cookies used on this website is explained in the description of the related category in the Cookie Categories by Intended Use section. Insofar as the conditions specified below apply, the following legal provisions apply additionally or by way of deviation from the specifications laid down above.

The legal basis for this processing is Article 6 para. 1 lit. b of the GDPR, provided that these cookies are used to initiate a contract or to process the contract.

If the processing does not serve to initiate or execute the contract, our legitimate interest lies in improving the functionality of our website. Legal basis is then Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

If the user has given consent to the use of cookies on the basis of a form that we have displayed on the website or via the Cookie Settings page, the legality of the use is additionally governed by Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

On our website, we use the following cookies:

Cookie Settings