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Privacy Statement on the « business.belgium » Point of Single Contact

In this Privacy Statement, the User will find information regarding the processing of personal data by the Federal Public Service Policy and Support (hereinafter: “FPS BOSA”) in the context of the Belgian Point of Single Contact, known as business.belgium. This Privacy Statement has been drawn up in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter: “GDPR”), which constitutes the framework applicable to the protection of the User’s personal data.

The business.belgium website constitutes the national Point of Single Contact enabling citizens, entrepreneurs and businesses to access information, procedures and assistance services relating to the exercise of economic activities in Belgium. It includes, in particular, information pages, contact forms and, where applicable, applications or digital services enabling certain administrative procedures to be initiated or monitored.

In this context, FPS BOSA acts exclusively as controller for the processing of personal data necessary for the functioning of the business.belgium website, the management of requests submitted through the contact forms, and the performance of its tasks as a federal service integrator and technical manager of the website.

This Privacy Statement applies exclusively to the processing of personal data carried out by FPS BOSA in the context of the business.belgium website. Applications, services or procedures accessible through the website but managed by other authorities, bodies or service providers, as well as authorised business counters acting within the framework of their own legal mandates, act as separate controllers. They determine independently the purposes and means of the processing operations they carry out and are subject to their own terms of use and privacy statements, to which the User is subject separately.

  1. Who are we?

We are the Directorate-General Simplification and Digitalisation of the Federal Public Service Policy and Support (FPS BOSA). Our tasks are defined in the Royal Decree of 22 February 2017 establishing the Federal Public Service Policy and Support. (https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/besluit/2017/02/22/2017010836/justel).

• Adress: WTC III, boulevard Simon Bolivar 30, 1000 Brussels

• Telephone number : +32 (0)2 740 75 00

• Company number : 0671.516.647

  1. FSP BOSA as federal service integrator

In accordance with Article 3 of the Act of 15 August 2012 on the establishment and organisation of a federal service integrator, FPS BOSA fulfils the mission of a federal service integrator. (https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/wet/2012/08/15/2012002044/justel).

As a federal service integrator, FPS BOSA is responsible, among other things, for receiving, temporarily retaining, for the sole purpose of ensuring reliable provision, and responding to requests for consultation and communication of data stored in one or more databases, or for ensuring the integrated communication and certification of such data.

It is also responsible for developing and making available the applications and data exchange systems necessary to achieve the objectives referred to in Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a single digital gateway to provide access to information, procedures and assistance and problem-solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012.

  1. Single Digital Gateway – business.belgium and procedure 16

The business.belgium website constitutes the national Point of Single Contact enabling citizens, entrepreneurs and businesses to access information, administrative procedures and assistance services relating to the exercise of economic activities in Belgium. It forms part of the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 establishing a Single Digital Gateway.

The website enables, in particular, the consultation of information relating to rights, obligations and formalities applicable to the exercise of economic activities, as well as access to certain administrative procedures and assistance services intended to support users in their administrative formalities. It also provides access, through links, to digital tools or applications facilitating the submission, monitoring or transmission of administrative requests, such as the Entrepreneur’s Tool and the Professional Qualifications Recognition Tool.

  1. Lawfulness of processing

The processing of personal data by FPS BOSA in the context of the business.belgium website is lawful because it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest entrusted to FPS BOSA by European and national law. The website forms part of the implementation of the Single Digital Gateway as provided for by Regulation (EU) 2018/1724, as well as the performance of the tasks entrusted to FPS BOSA in its capacity as a federal service integrator.

This processing is based on Article 6(1)(e) of the General Data Protection Regulation, as well as on the Act of 15 August 2012 on the establishment and organisation of a federal service integrator, which entrusts FPS BOSA with the development and provision of digital pages and data exchange systems in support of legal and European obligations, and on Article 16 of the Cooperation Agreement of 4 April 2024 on the intergovernmental implementation of Regulation (EU) 2018/1724.

The processing carried out by FPS BOSA is strictly limited to what is necessary for the functioning of the website, including its development, technical management, maintenance, security, proper functioning and the management of requests submitted through the contact form.

The processing operations carried out by authorised business counters, federal, regional or local public authorities, and competent bodies within the framework of their own legal mandates fall under their exclusive responsibility and are subject to their own privacy statements.

  1. Categories of personal data processed

The following categories of personal data are processed by FPS BOSA, acting as controller, in the context of the website:

– Data communicated through the contact form:

o identification data (surname, first name and, where applicable, any other information communicated by the User);

o content of the question or request submitted by the User;

o any files communicated by the User.

– Data relating to user preferences:

o language selected by the User;

o preferences recorded through cookies that are strictly necessary for the functioning of the website.

– Technical and log data:

o IP address;

o log data relating to access, actions performed and data exchanges;

o audit trail data necessary for security, traceability and compliance with legal obligations.

  1. Purposes

FPS BOSA processes personal data in the context of the business.belgium website exclusively for the following purposes:

• ensuring the operation, availability, maintenance, security and management of the website, including the detection, analysis and resolution of operational incidents and malfunctions;

• ensuring the security of the website, including the prevention, detection and limitation of unauthorised access and abnormal technical behaviour likely to affect the availability or integrity of the system;

• managing users’ preferences and technical settings through cookies that are strictly necessary for the functioning of the website;

• carrying out audience measurement and compiling website usage statistics through cookies, in accordance with the information provided in the cookie policy;

• receiving, processing and following up on questions, requests or feedback submitted by users through the website contact form, including, where applicable, their transmission to the competent authority or body responsible for responding.

FPS BOSA processes only the personal data that are strictly necessary for achieving these purposes and exercises no decision-making power with regard to administrative procedures, authorisations, registrations or decisions falling within the competence of public authorities or competent bodies.

  1. Categories of data subjects

The main category of data subjects consists of any natural person who accesses the business.belgium website. This includes both Belgian citizens and citizens of other Member States of the European Economic Area who use the website to obtain information or to initiate and monitor their business file electronically.

  1. Transfer of data

In the context of the business.belgium website, personal data may be transferred only to the extent strictly necessary for the operation, maintenance and security of the website, as well as for the processing of requests submitted through the contact form.

Data submitted through the contact form are processed by FPS BOSA and may, where appropriate, be communicated to the competent authorities or bodies in order to enable the processing of the User’s request.

Technical service providers acting on behalf of FPS BOSA may also have access to certain personal data, solely to the extent necessary for the provision of hosting, maintenance, technical support or website security services. These service providers act as processors and process the data only in accordance with the instructions of FPS BOSA.

FPS BOSA does not communicate personal data to third parties for commercial purposes.

Personal data are not transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area, except where this is strictly necessary for technical reasons and subject to appropriate safeguards in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

  1. Retention period of the data

Personal data processed in the context of the operation and management of the business.belgium website, including technical logs and associated browsing data, are retained for a period necessary for the proper functioning, security and maintenance of the website.

Personal data collected through cookies are retained for the period indicated in the cookie policy, depending on their purpose.

Personal data relating to questions submitted through the contact form are retained for the time necessary for the processing and follow-up of the request.

Audit and log data are retained for a maximum period of ten years, in accordance with applicable legislation and internal retention policies.

FPS BOSA does not retain personal data longer than strictly necessary and ensures that retention periods are periodically evaluated. Upon expiry of the applicable retention periods, the data are securely deleted or irreversibly anonymised.

  1. Security measures

FPS BOSA undertakes to take all appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against destruction, loss, accidental alteration, damage or unauthorised disclosure.

  1. Cookies

The use of cookies is described in the cookie policy.

  1. Rights of data subjects

In accordance with the GDPR, the User has the right to access the personal data processed by FPS BOSA and to obtain information about the way in which they are processed. The User has the right to have their personal data corrected free of charge by contacting the Directorate-General Simplification and Digitalisation using the contact details below. The User also has the right to request the deletion of their personal data or the restriction of certain processing operations.

Where the Directorate-General Simplification and Digitalisation acts as processor on behalf of a controller in the context of an intended processing of personal data, the User’s request shall be forwarded to the relevant controller.

If the User has a complaint, question or problem regarding the way in which the Directorate-General Simplification and Digitalisation processes personal data, the User may contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO).

DPO – FPS BOSA

Boulevard Simon Bolivar 30

1000 Brussels

dpo@bosa.fgov.be

  1. Complaints

If the User considers that FPS BOSA has processed personal data in violation of the applicable regulations, the User has the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority:

Data Protection Authority

Rue de la Presse 35

1000 Brussels

contact@apd-gba.be

https://www.dataprotectionauthority.be/citizen

  1. Amendments

FPS BOSA reserves the right to amend this Privacy Statement at any time. This Privacy Statement was last amended and revised on 26 June 2026.