EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY
Public Health, Cancer and Health Security
Health Security
PROTECTION OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Processing operation: Training activities, simulation exercises and other related activities in the
field of health security and serious cross-border threats to health
Data Controller: European Commission, DG SANTE, Unit B2
Record reference: DPR-EC-35368.1
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Why and how do we process your personal data?
3. On what legal ground(s) do we process your personal data?
4. Which personal data do we collect and further process?
5. How long do we keep your personal data?
6. How do we protect and safeguard your personal data?
7. Who has access to your personal data and to whom is it disclosed?
8. What are your rights and how can you exercise them?
9. Contact information
10. Where to find more detailed information?
1. Introduction
The European Commission is committed to protect your personal data and to respect your
privacy. The Commission collects and further processes personal data pursuant to Regulation
(EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of natural
persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices
and agencies and on the free movement of such data. This privacy statement explains the
reason for the processing of your personal data in the context of training activities, simulation
exercises and other related activities in the field of health security and serious cross-border
threats to health, organised by the European Commission.
2. Why and how do we process your personal data?
In accordance with Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371, the Commission is empowered to
organise training activities for healthcare staff, social service staff and public health staff in
Member States. Moreover, the Commission has the obligation to test the implementation of the
Union prevention, preparedness and response plan (Article 5). Personal data are processed in
order to facilitate the organisation and management of in-person or online thematic training
workshops, the organisation and management of eLearning modules, the organisation of
thematic in-person conferences, and the organisation and management of in-person and online
simulation exercises to the test the Union prevention and preparedness plan for health crises.
For training purposes, the sharing of participants list containing your name, affiliation and
professional email address with other participants is necessary. In addition, further information
will be given if there are specific purposes for such sharing (e.g. for the purpose of future
collaboration).
Moreover, photos and videos may be taken in order to promote the above-mentioned activities.
Additional data (nationality, passport or identity card number and its date of issue and expiry
date) may be collected for the purposes of access to the premises where the meeting/event is
held and/or for travel arrangements.
Your personal data (name, surname, email addresses, function/role/job title and
institution/organisation/employer) are collected (e.g. via EUSurvey, email exchange, etc) by the
representatives of EU Member States/EEA countries in the Health Security Committee, other
representatives of any relevant national competent authorities, representatives of EU
institutions and bodies, and/or other employers. Then, you will send the rest of the necessary
data to the external contractor (the data processor).
Your personal data will not be used for any automated decision-making including profiling.
3. On what legal ground(s) do we process your personal data?
The legal basis of the above-mentioned activities is Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European
Parliament and the Council on serious cross-border threats to health. This Regulation empowers
the Commission to facilitate the testing of the Union prevention, preparedness and response
plan for health crises (Article 5(5)), and to organise training of healthcare staff, social care staff
and public health staff (Article 11). Consequently, the processing of personal data is necessary
for compliance with a legal obligation, and it is therefore lawful under Article 5(1)(b) of
Regulation (EU) 2018/1725. Regarding the sharing of the lists of names among the participants,
the legal basis is Article 5(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.
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In addition, your consent is required for the following actions during the training activity,
simulation exercise or other related activity (if applicable):
• the processing of your personal data stemming from any photographs and/or videos
taken;
• the processing of your personal data relating to your dietary requirements and/or
access requirements;
• the sharing of the meeting/event attendee list containing your name, affiliation and
professional email address among participants, for future collaboration.
If you opt-in, you are giving us your explicit consent under Article 5(1)(d) of Regulation (EU)
2018/1725 to process your personal data for these specific purposes. You can give your consent
via a clear affirmative act by ticking the box(es) on the online registration form or when signing
the presence list at the event. Your consent for any of these specific purposes can be withdrawn
at any time and detailed information on how to withdraw consent can be found below.
4. Which personal data do we collect and further process?
The following personal data may be processed in the context of the training activities,
simulation exercises and other related events:
• Title, First and last name, Function/Role/Job title, Institution/Organisation/Employer
• Professional contact email address, Mobile number and/or telephone number
• Nationality, City and Country of residence
• Country representation
• Valid travel ID or passport details (scanned copies may be required in the event of any
travel booked on your behalf, and may be requested by the accommodation provider
upon check-in)
• Personal details for the purposes of reimbursement of certain expenses, including:
IBAN/Bank Account Number, Beneficiary address, Receipts/Invoices/Booking
confirmations
• Feedback on the training activity, simulation exercise or other related activity
(aggregated according to role in the exercise) – verbal/written/email/EUSurvey/JotForm
In addition, the following data may also be collected:
• Photographs and/or videos of participants, trainers, observers, speakers, and facilitators
including staff of contractors (subject to your prior explicit consent)
• Accessibility requirements (for provision of an adequate venue)
• Dietary requirements (necessary for providing the appropriate catering services)
IP address, location data, data about the web browser, cookies or other tracking technologies
are collected automatically while registering to meetings through JotForm, and when using EU
Survey/EU Academy/EVA Platform.
5. How long do we keep your personal data?
The Data Controller only keeps your personal data for the time necessary to fulfil the purpose of
collection or further processing. For each of the categories of personal data that may be
processed, please find below the retention details and the reference to the relevant record of
processing:
• Personal data related to the organisation and management of the meeting or event (this
includes the information given during the registration, before, during or after the event)
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will be kept for 5 years after the training activity, simulation exercise and/or other
related activity.
• In the case of photographs and/or videos which include the participants, the data will
be kept for 5 years.
• Sensitive personal data relating to dietary and/or access requirements will be deleted as
soon as they are no longer necessary for the purpose for which they have been
collected in the framework of the meeting or event, but no later than within 1 month
after the end of the meeting or event.
• In case of audio-visual recording of the meeting or event, the recordings will be kept for
3 months after the meeting or event before being deleted. More information is
available in the Record of Processing DPR-EC-01937 (Audio-visual recording of
meetings).
• Selected service providers for organisational purposes (such as caterers, travel agents or
event management organisations) are contractually bound to process personal data on
behalf of and in line with the instructions of the data controller, keep confidential any
data they process and protect it from unauthorised access, use and retention.
6. How do we protect and safeguard your personal data?
All personal data in electronic format (e-mails, documents, databases, uploaded batches of
data, etc.) are stored on the servers of the European Commission and its contractors. All
processing operations are carried out pursuant to Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2017/46
of 10 January 2017 on the security of communication and information systems in the European
Commission. The Commission’s processors (contractors) are bound by a specific contractual
clause for any processing operations of your personal data on behalf of the Commission. The
processors have to put in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the
level of security, required by the Commission.
7. Who has access to your personal data and to whom is it disclosed?
Access to your personal data is provided to the Commission staff responsible for carrying out
this processing operation and to other authorised Commission staff according to the “need to
know” principle. Such staff abide by statutory, and when required, additional confidentiality
agreements. In addition, DG SANTE and its external contractors (ICF S.A., Avenue Marnix 17,
1000 Brussels, Belgium and PwC EU Services EEIG, Culliganlaan 5, 1831 Diegem, Belgium)
participating in the organisation of the training activities, simulation exercises and other related
activities, and bodies charged with monitoring or inspection tasks in application of EU law (e.g.,
internal audits, Court of Auditors, European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) and the European
Ombudsman) may have access to your personal data. The data provided may also be accessed
by your country’s representative(s) in the Health Security Committee, any relevant national
competent authority, representatives of EU institutions and bodies, other employers for the
purpose of nominating participants, and the external trainers responsible for organising the
training of participants. Moreover, your personal data will not be transferred to non-EU
countries or international organisations. The data processor(s) may share limited personal data
(such as your name and titles for reservation purposes) with the hotel or travel service provider.
These providers are independent data controllers and are required to handle your data in
accordance with the applicable data protection laws of their country of establishment.
In addition, other participants participating in the same training activity, simulation exercise or
other related activity may have access to your name, affiliation and professional email address
for the purposes of the activity in question.
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8. What are your rights and how can you exercise them?
You have specific rights as a ‘data subject’ under Chapter III (Articles 14-25) of Regulation (EU)
2018/1725, in particular the right to access, your personal data and to rectify them in case your
personal data are inaccurate or incomplete. Where applicable, you have the right to erase your
personal data, to restrict the processing of your personal data, and the right to data portability.
You also have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, which is lawfully
carried out pursuant to Article 5(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on grounds relating to your
particular situation.
In case you have consented to provide certain personal data for the present processing
operation, you can withdraw your consent at any time by notifying the data controller by email
on email address below. The withdrawal of your consent will not affect the lawfulness of the
processing carried out before you have withdrawn the consent.
You can exercise your rights by contacting the data controller, or in case of conflict – the Data
Protection Officer. If necessary, you can also address the European Data Protection Supervisor.
Their contact information is given under Heading 9 below.
You can withdraw your consent, if obtained by the controller, by sending an email to the
controller, using the functional mailbox mentioned below.
9. Contact information
- The Data Controller
If you would like to exercise your rights under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, or if you have
comments, questions or concerns, or if you would like to submit a complaint regarding the
collection and use of your personal data, please feel free to contact the Data Controller – DG
SANTE, Unit B2 (
[email protected]).
- The Data Protection Officer (DPO) of the Commission
You may contact the Data Protection Officer (
[email protected]) with
regard to issues related to the processing of your personal data under Regulation (EU)
2018/1725.
- The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)
You have the right to have recourse (i.e. you can lodge a complaint) to the European Data
Protection Supervisor (
[email protected]) if you consider that your rights under Regulation
(EU) 2018/1725 have been infringed as a result of the processing of your personal data by the
data controller.
10. Where to find more detailed information?
The Commission Data Protection Officer (DPO) publishes the register of all processing
operations on personal data by the European Commission, which have been documented and
notified to him. You may access the register via the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/dpo-
register.
This specific processing operation has been included in the DPO’s public register with the
following Record reference: DPR-EC-35368.1.
5
Saatja: "Tiina Rootamm - SOM" <
[email protected]>
Saaja:
[email protected], "Maia-Triin Kanarbik - SOM" <
[email protected]>, "Kerli Reintamm-Gutan - SOM" <
[email protected]>
Teema: EURLs taotlusvoorud ja SIMEX kutse - New Call for Applications for EURLs published and Invitation to nominate participants to the simulation exercise to test the Union prevention, preparedness and response plan for health crises
Kuupäev: 2026-03-16 11:35
Tähelepanu! Tegemist on väljastpoolt asutust saabunud kirjaga. Tundmatu
saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada.
Tere!
Edastan alloleva info EURLs uute taotlusvoorude kohta – täpsem info koos
linkidega leitav kirjas.
Samuti palutakse nimetada 2 osalejat ECDC lauaõppusele Rootsis 25.-26.
juunil. Nimetamise kutse manuses, regamise tähtaeg 31.03.
Tervitades
Tiina Rootamm
peaspetsialist | EL ja väliskoostöö osakond
53367 5311 | <mailto:
[email protected]>
[email protected]
From:
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]>
<
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2026 2:43 PM
To:
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]>
Subject: New Call for Applications for EURLs published and Invitation to
nominate participants to the simulation exercise to test the Union
prevention, preparedness and response plan for health crises
Dear Permanent Representations,
We would like to inform you that on 11 March 2026, the Directorate-General
for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) launched a new Call for Applications
for
* EURL for Public Health on Clostridioides difficile
* EURL for Public Health on Sexually Transmitted Bacteria
* EURL for Public Health on Mycobacteria
* EURL for Public Health on Invasive Bacteria
The call is open until 19 August 2026, 12:00 (CEST), and more information
can be found here: EU Reference Laboratories for public health – 2026 calls
for applications - Public Health
<https://health.ec.europa.eu/consultations/eu-reference-laboratories-public-health-2026-calls-applications_en>
.
The Commission and ECDC are also organising a webinar for interested
candidate laboratories on 29 April 2026 - 15:00-16:30 (CEST) (registration
details can be found on the Call webpage and also via this
<https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/35204edf-b501-47c5-b011-51afb38c84a3_en?filename=security_20260429_ag_en.pdf>
link).
In addition, please be informed that DG SANTE has sent invitations to the
members of the Health Security Committee to nominate two (2) participants
per country to the simulation exercise testing the
<https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/commission-communication-introducing-union-prevention-preparedness-and-response-plan-health-crises_en>
Union prevention, preparedness and response plan for health crises (see the
letter attached). This exercise takes place at the premises of the European
Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Solna, Sweden, on 25–26 June
2026. DG SANTE has asked for the nomination of participants by 31 March 2026
at 16:00 (CEST) at the latest using the nomination survey:
https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/UnionSIMEX-Nomination.
We are informing you on the invitation because of the of the importance of
the exercise in ensuring implementation and continuous improvement of the
Union plan, and to raise awareness also among sectors beyond health.
Attached you will find the nomination letter and the privacy statement.
Yours faithfully,
SANTE B2 Secretariat
SANTE B2 - European Commission
DG SANTE | Health and Food Safety | Unit B2 - Health Security
DRB | 12, rue Guillaume Kroll
L-1882 Luxembourg
<mailto:
[email protected]>
[email protected]
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR
HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY
The Director-General
EURO PEAN CENTRE FO R
Ill DISEASE PREVE NTION
ANO CONTRO L
Brussels, 23 February 2026
SANTE.B.2/PT/ed (2026)2066309
Subject: Invitation to nominate participants to the simulation exercise to test the
Union prevention, preparedness and response plan for health crises
Dear Members of the Health Security Committee,
We are pleased to invite you to nominate two (2) representatives of your country to
participate in the in-person simulation exercise to test the Union prevention, preparedness
and response plan for health crises (1).
Event: Simulation exercise to the test the Union prevention, preparedness
and response plan for health crises
Date and time: 25-26 June 2026 from 9.00-17.00 (till 16.00 on 26 June)
Place: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Gustav III:s Boulevard 40
169 73 Solna, Sweden
The aim of this exercise is to test how the Union plan promotes effective and coordinated
response to serious cross-border threats to health in the EU. The exercise tests the plan's
capacity to ( 1) promote synergies between the Member States, the Commission and the
relevant EU agencies and bodies, (2) to provide for joint arrangements for governance,
capacities and resources, and (3) to support cross-border public health measures across
neighbouring regions in accordance with Article 5 of the Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on
serious cross-border threats to health.
The exercise will centre around a scenario of a serious cross-border threat to health of
biological origin. The scenario will include additional disruptive elements linked to
cybersecurity and necessitating crisis communication.
( 1) h ttps: //heal th. ec. europa. eu/publ ica tions/commission-co mm uni ca ti on-introduc in g:-union-prevention-
preparedness-an d-respon se-pIan-health-crises en
HSC Members - senior level
Permanent Representations to the EU
EU/EEA countries
(e-mail transmission only)
Ideally, at least one of the two participants to the exercise should be familiar with the
coordination of response to serious cross-border threats to health at national and EU levels
and especially within the Health Security Committee. If possible, one of the two
participants should have experience with public health emergencies due to communicable
diseases. Also, we strongly welcome participants from other relevant national authorities,
related to overall preparedness beyond health. Registered participants will be provided
with all necessary information to ensure their effective contribution to the exercise
beforehand.
Practical arrangements
Travel, accommodation and meals (breakfast and lunch on both days, dinner on 25 June
2026) will be offered to the participants. Daily allowance is, however, not provided. PwC
is the contractor in charge of the practical arrangements for the simulation exercise
including travel and accommodation. The contractor will provide practical information to
the participants upon registration.
Nomination of participants
Please nominate both participants from your country in one submission using this
nomination survey https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvev/runner/UnionSIMEX-Nomination by 31
March 2026 at 16:00 CET at the latest.
Registration of participants
Nominated participants will receive an invitation to complete a registration survey
managed by PwC.
Data Privacy
Please find detailed information on the processing of personal data in the context of the
simulation exercise in the Privacy Statement enclosed.
Questions
Should you have any questions regarding the organisation of the simulation exercise,
please contact the Contractor at
[email protected].
For any questions related to the implementation of the Union prevention, preparedness and
response plan for health crises, don't hesitate to contact us at
[email protected].
Yours sincerely,
Qualified electronic signature by: SANDRA
GALLINA
Date 2026-03-06 18:15:26 UTC
Sandra GALLINA p
Director-General Director
Directorate for Health and Food Safety European Centre for Disease Prevention
(DG SANTE) and Control (ECDC)
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Enclosure: Privacy statement
c.c. : Council Working Party on Health
Council Ad Hoc Working Party on preparedness, response capability and
resilience to future crisis
3/3