Last updated: 30 June 2026
This Cookie Policy describes how the website of UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union uses cookies and other tracking technologies, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”), Directive 2002/58/EC as amended, Italian Legislative Decree no. 196/2003 as amended by Legislative Decree no. 101/2018, and the Guidelines of the Italian Data Protection Authority on cookies and other tracking tools.
This Policy supplements the website Privacy Policy and is intended to provide users with clear information on the technologies used, the purposes pursued, and the ways in which consent may be managed or withdrawn.
1. Data Controller
The Data Controller is:
UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 244
00186 Rome – Italy
Telephone: +39 06 68581430
Privacy email: privacy@uni-med.net
Website: www.uni-med.net
For any request concerning the processing of personal data and the use of cookies, users may contact the Data Controller at privacy@uni-med.net.
2. What cookies are
Cookies are small text files that websites visited by users send to the device used for browsing. These files are stored on the device and are then sent back to the same websites during subsequent visits.
Cookies may perform different functions: enabling the technical operation of the website, improving the browsing experience, remembering user preferences, collecting aggregated statistical information or, where applicable and subject to the user’s prior consent, allowing analysis, measurement or tracking activities.
For the purposes of this Policy, the term “cookies” also includes similar technologies, such as pixels, tags, scripts, local storage, session storage and other identification or tracking tools, where used by the website.
3. Types of cookies used by the website
The UNIMED website may use the following categories of cookies.
3.1 Strictly necessary technical cookies
Strictly necessary technical cookies allow the website to operate properly and enable the provision of services requested by the user.
This category includes, by way of example, cookies required for security, session management, storage of technical preferences, cookie consent management and the ordinary operation of the WordPress platform.
These cookies do not require the user’s prior consent, as they are necessary to make the website and its essential functions available. Users may configure their browser to block or delete them, but in that case some parts of the website may not work properly.
3.2 Functional and preference cookies
Functional and preference cookies allow the website to remember certain choices made by the user, such as language preferences, display settings or other configurations useful for improving the browsing experience.
Where such cookies are not strictly necessary for the provision of a service requested by the user, they are installed only with the user’s prior consent.
3.3 Analytics cookies
The UNIMED website may use analytics cookies to collect statistical information on page usage, number of visitors, most visited areas, traffic sources and general interaction patterns with the website.
Analytics cookies may be treated as technical cookies only where they are used exclusively to produce aggregated statistics and where appropriate measures are adopted to reduce their identifying power, such as IP masking and the absence of combination with other data by the third-party service provider.
Where these conditions are not met, analytics cookies require the user’s prior consent.
3.4 Third-party cookies
The UNIMED website may integrate content, tools or services provided by third parties, such as analytics services, multimedia content, anti-spam systems, maps, fonts, social components, video platforms or other external services.
These third parties may install cookies or use tracking technologies according to their own privacy notices and cookie policies. UNIMED does not have full control over processing activities independently carried out by such third parties, but adopts reasonable measures to prevent the prior activation of non-essential cookies before obtaining the user’s consent.
3.5 Profiling and marketing cookies
As of the date of this Policy, the UNIMED website does not use profiling or marketing cookies, unless otherwise indicated in the consent management panel or following subsequent technical changes to the website.
Should profiling or marketing cookies be used in the future, such tools will be activated only with the user’s express prior consent, which may be given, refused or withdrawn at any time through the cookie preference management panel.
4. Legal basis for processing
For strictly necessary technical cookies, the legal basis for processing is UNIMED’s legitimate interest in ensuring the proper technical operation of the website, the security of browsing and the provision of services requested by the user.
For analytics cookies that cannot be treated as technical cookies, non-essential functional cookies, non-technical third-party cookies and any profiling or marketing cookies, the legal basis is the user’s consent pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.
Consent is freely given, specific, informed, unambiguous and may be withdrawn at any time.
5. Consent management
When first accessing the website, the user is shown a cookie banner allowing them to:
accept all non-technical cookies;
reject all non-technical cookies;
manage preferences in a granular manner;
modify previously expressed preferences at a later stage.
The user’s preferences are stored through specific technical cookies for consent management purposes, in order to avoid repeatedly displaying the banner.
The user may modify or withdraw consent at any time through the cookie preference management function available on the UNIMED website.
6. List of cookies used
The following list must be verified through a technical scan of the website before final publication. The cookies actually present may vary depending on installed plugins, active third-party services, embedded content on the pages and adopted configurations.
6.1 Strictly necessary technical cookies
| Cookie name | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| viewed_cookie_policy | UNIMED / consent management plugin | Stores whether the cookie policy has been viewed or accepted. It does not store directly identifying personal data. | Approximately 11 months | Strictly necessary technical cookie |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | UNIMED / consent management plugin | Stores the user’s preference for the necessary cookies category. | Approximately 11 months | Strictly necessary technical cookie |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | UNIMED / consent management plugin | Stores the user’s preference for the functional cookies category. | Approximately 11 months | Technical cookie necessary for consent management |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | UNIMED / consent management plugin | Stores the user’s preference for the performance cookies category. | Approximately 11 months | Technical cookie necessary for consent management |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | UNIMED / consent management plugin | Stores the user’s preference for the analytics cookies category. | Approximately 11 months | Technical cookie necessary for consent management |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | UNIMED / consent management plugin | Stores the user’s preference for any uncategorised cookies. | Approximately 11 months | Technical cookie necessary for consent management |
| PHPSESSID | UNIMED / server | Maintains the user’s technical session during browsing, where used by the website. | Session | Strictly necessary technical cookie |
| wordpress_test_cookie | WordPress / UNIMED | Checks whether the browser accepts cookies. | Session | Strictly necessary technical cookie |
6.2 Analytics cookies
| Cookie name | Provider | Purpose | Indicative duration | Category | Consent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes users for statistical purposes and for measuring website usage. | Up to 2 years | Analytics | Yes, unless configured in compliance with analytics cookies treated as technical cookies |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Distinguishes users for daily statistical purposes. | Approximately 24 hours | Analytics | Yes, unless configured in compliance with analytics cookies treated as technical cookies |
| _gat / gat_gtag* | Google Analytics | Limits the frequency of requests sent to Google servers. | Approximately 1 minute | Analytics | Yes, unless configured in compliance with analytics cookies treated as technical cookies |
| __utma | Google Analytics / Universal Analytics | Distinguishes users and sessions, where still present. | Up to 2 years | Analytics | Yes |
| __utmb | Google Analytics / Universal Analytics | Determines new sessions or visits, where still present. | Approximately 30 minutes | Analytics | Yes |
| __utmc | Google Analytics / Universal Analytics | Session cookie historically used with Universal Analytics, where still present. | Session | Analytics | Yes |
| __utmz | Google Analytics / Universal Analytics | Stores the traffic source or campaign of origin, where still present. | Approximately 6 months | Analytics | Yes |
Operational note: the Universal Analytics cookies __utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmz are compatible with historical Google Analytics implementations. Before final publication, it is necessary to verify whether they are still actually installed by the website or whether the implementation has been migrated to Google Analytics 4.
6.3 Functional, performance or other third-party cookies
| Cookie / service name | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Category | Consent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookies related to embedded content | Third parties, such as video platforms, maps, social networks or other external services | Enable the display of external content embedded in UNIMED website pages. | Variable depending on the provider | Functional / third-party | Yes, unless strictly technically necessary |
| Security or anti-spam cookies | Any third-party providers | Protect forms and website features from abuse, spam or automated access. | Variable depending on the provider | Technical or functional, depending on configuration | To be assessed according to the service |
| Uncategorised cookies | UNIMED or third parties | Cookies undergoing technical classification. | Variable | Other | To be assessed |
6.4 Profiling or marketing cookies
As of the date of this Policy, no profiling or marketing cookies owned or directly controlled by UNIMED are indicated.
Should advertising, remarketing, tracking pixels, social advertising or behavioural profiling tools be activated in the future, this Policy shall be updated and such tools shall be blocked until the user’s express consent has been obtained.
7. Transfer of data to third countries
Some third-party services, including possible analytics tools, may involve the transfer of personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area.
Where this occurs, the transfer is carried out in accordance with Articles 44 et seq. of the GDPR, on the basis of an adequacy decision of the European Commission, standard contractual clauses or other safeguards provided for by applicable law.
Users are also invited to consult the privacy notices of the relevant third-party providers.
8. Data retention
Data collected through cookies are retained for the time strictly necessary to achieve the purposes for which they are collected, according to the durations indicated in the tables of this Policy.
The preferences expressed by the user regarding consent are stored for the period set in the consent management system, unless consent is withdrawn earlier, the cookies used are significantly modified, or it becomes necessary to obtain consent again.
9. Provision of data
The provision of data through technical cookies is necessary to allow the proper operation of the UNIMED website.
The provision of data through non-technical analytics cookies, non-essential functional cookies, non-essential third-party cookies and any profiling or marketing cookies is optional.
Refusal to give consent does not prevent browsing the website, except for the possible unavailability of specific functions connected to third-party services.
10. How to disable cookies through the browser
Users may manage, block or delete cookies also through their browser settings.
The methods vary depending on the browser used. The main management paths are indicated below:
Google Chrome: privacy and security settings, cookies and other site data;
Mozilla Firefox: privacy and security settings, cookies and website data;
Apple Safari: privacy preferences and cookie management;
Microsoft Edge: privacy, search and services settings, cookies and site permissions.
Blocking all technical cookies may impair the proper operation of the website.
11. Data subject rights
Within the limits and under the conditions provided for by the GDPR, users may exercise the rights set out in Articles 15–22 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, including:
right of access to personal data;
right to rectification;
right to erasure;
right to restriction of processing;
right to object;
right to data portability, where applicable;
right to withdraw consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
Requests may be sent to UNIMED at:
privacy@uni-med.net
Users also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Italian Data Protection Authority, according to the procedures indicated on the Authority’s website.
12. Changes to this Cookie Policy
UNIMED reserves the right to amend or update this Cookie Policy in the event of regulatory, technical or organisational changes, as well as in the event of changes to the cookies or tracking tools used by the website.
Users are invited to consult this page periodically to check for any updates.