To make visiting our website attractive and to enable the use of particular features, we use cookies. These are small text files which are stored on your end device. Some of the cookies used by us are then deleted once your browser session has ended, i.e. after your browser has been closed (so-called session cookies). Other cookies remain on your end device and enable us to recognise your browser upon your next visit (persistent cookies).

You can configure your browser so that you are notified about the use of cookies and can make case-by-case decisions to accept them or can exclude the acceptance of cookies in specific cases or in general. If cookies are not accepted, the functionality of our website may be restricted. The help function in the menu bar of most web browsers explains how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how you can get your browser to inform you when you receive new cookies, and how you can delete all cookies that have already been received as well as blocking all additional ones.

The cookies used on the website include those which are strictly necessary cookies for access and navigation, cookies that track usage (performance cookies), remember your choices (functionality cookies), and cookies that provide you with targeted content or advertising.

We may use the information we obtain from your use of our cookies for the following purposes:

_ to recognize your computer when you visit the website,
_ to track you as you navigate the website, and to enable the use of any e-commerce facilities,
_ to improve the website’s usability,
_ to analyze the use of the website,
_ in the administration of the website,
_ to personalize the website for you, including targeting advertisements which may be of particular interest to you.

You can restrict, block or delete cookies using your browser. The operation is different on each browser, the ‘Help’ function shows you how to do it.

Blocking or deleting all cookies will, however, have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites. If you block/delete cookies, you may not be able to use certain features on the website (log on, access content, use search functions).