Montessori Europe e.V.

Last updated: September 2026

1. Who We Are

Montessori Europe e.V. takes the protection of your personal data seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and protect personal data when you visit our website, become a member, subscribe to our communications, register for our events, make payments, or otherwise interact with us.

The controller responsible for the processing of personal data is:

Montessori Europe e.V.
Grünstr. 23
12555 Berlin
Germany
Email: office@montessori-europe.net

Registered with the District Court Berlin-Charlottenburg under VR 36635 B.

Montessori Europe processes personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), the German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG), the Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (Telekommunikation-Digitale-Dienste-Datenschutz-Gesetz – TDDDG) and other applicable data-protection legislation.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We process personal data only where there is a lawful basis for doing so and only to the extent necessary for the relevant purpose.

Depending on the circumstances, we may process personal data:

• with your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR);
• where necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR);
• where necessary to comply with a legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR); or
• where necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

We do not sell personal data or provide personal data to third parties for their own advertising purposes.

3. Membership and Webling

When you apply for or maintain membership of Montessori Europe, we process the information necessary to establish and administer your membership. This may include your name, contact details, organisation, membership category, invoicing and payment information, and records relating to your membership.

The primary legal basis for this processing is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Where records must be retained for legal, accounting or taxation purposes, processing is based on Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

We use your email address to communicate with you about your membership, including membership administration, membership benefits, renewal and membership fees.

Membership applications and member records are administered using Webling, provided by uSystems GmbH, Klosterstrasse 34, 8406 Winterthur, Switzerland.

When you apply for membership through our website, you are directed to Webling, where the application form is hosted and your membership information is collected and processed. Membership applications are not stored on the Montessori Europe website.

Webling processes membership information on behalf of Montessori Europe. Data is hosted in Switzerland, which is recognised by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of protection for personal data.

Membership information is retained for the duration of your membership and thereafter only for as long as required by applicable legal or accounting requirements or where retention is otherwise necessary for legitimate organisational purposes.

4. Newsletter and Email Communications

Montessori Europe uses Mailchimp, a service provided by The Rocket Science Group LLC, an Intuit company, to distribute newsletters and other email communications.

When you subscribe to our newsletter, we process your email address and any other information you voluntarily provide for this purpose. The legal basis for this processing is your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in our newsletters or by contacting office@montessori-europe.net. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Mailchimp is based in the United States and personal data may therefore be processed in the United States. Mailchimp participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and provides additional safeguards for international transfers where applicable.

Information collected specifically for newsletter distribution is retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw your consent, subject to information that may need to be retained for legal or compliance purposes.

5. Website Hosting

The Montessori Europe website is hosted through Hosting Deals, using hosting infrastructure provided by xneelo (Pty) Ltd, Unit F, Belvedere Office Park, Bella Rosa Street, Durbanville, 7550, South Africa.

The website and its associated hosting data are hosted at xneelo’s data centre in Gauteng, South Africa.

When you visit our website, technical information associated with your visit may automatically be recorded in server logs. This may include your IP address and information relating to requests made to the website.

This information is used for purposes including the secure and reliable operation of the website, system administration, security monitoring, troubleshooting and website traffic statistics. Standard server logs are normally retained for 60 days.

The legal basis for this processing is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, based on our legitimate interest in providing and securing a functional website.

As the hosting infrastructure is located in South Africa, website data may be processed outside the European Economic Area. Appropriate safeguards for international transfers are used in accordance with the GDPR, including the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable.

xneelo may use subprocessors to provide particular services and support functions. Where these involve international transfers of personal data, appropriate data-protection safeguards apply.

6. Cookies

The Montessori Europe website uses cookies and similar technologies. Some cookies are necessary for the website to function correctly, while others may be used for purposes such as functionality, analytics and website performance.

We use CookieYes to manage cookie consent. When you first visit our website, you can accept or reject optional cookies or customise your preferences. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie settings available on the website.

Cookies that are strictly necessary for the operation of the website may be used without consent where permitted by law. Other cookies are used only where the required consent has been provided. This reflects §25 TDDDG, which requires consent for storing or accessing information on a user’s device unless one of its statutory exceptions applies.

Detailed information about the cookies currently used, including their purpose and duration, is available through the Cookie Settings on our website.

7. Contacting Montessori Europe

The Montessori Europe website provides a contact form through which you may send enquiries to us.

When you use the contact form, the information you provide is sent directly by email to office@montessori-europe.net. A copy of the submission is not stored on the Montessori Europe website.

The information is used to respond to and, where necessary, follow up on your enquiry. Depending on the nature of your enquiry, the legal basis for processing may be Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR where your enquiry relates to a contractual relationship, or Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR based on our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries and communicating with members and other interested persons.

8. Congress and Event Registration

Montessori Europe uses Eventzilla to administer registrations and ticketing for its Congress and certain other events.

When you register for an event, we process the information necessary to administer your registration and participation. This may include your name, contact details, organisation, registration category, invoicing information, attendance details and other information required for participation.

The legal basis for this processing is generally Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Where information must be retained for legal, taxation or accounting purposes, processing is based on Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

Eventzilla processes registration information on behalf of Montessori Europe and stores and processes data primarily in the United States. Transfers of personal data from the European Economic Area are safeguarded through the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses in accordance with Eventzilla’s Data Processing Addendum.

9. Payments through PayPal

Montessori Europe uses PayPal to process online payments, including membership fees and Congress and event registration fees.

When making a payment, you are redirected to PayPal from Webling or Eventzilla. Payment information is entered and processed directly within PayPal’s payment environment.

For users in the European Economic Area, PayPal services are provided by PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22–24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg.

The legal basis for Montessori Europe’s processing of information necessary to administer your payment is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Where transaction records must be retained for legal, accounting or taxation purposes, processing is based on Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

These payment details are provided directly to and processed by PayPal. Montessori Europe receives only the information necessary to identify and administer the payment, such as confirmation of the transaction, the amount paid and information identifying the payer.

PayPal processes personal data in accordance with its own privacy obligations.

10. Photographs and Video at Montessori Europe Events

Montessori Europe may take photographs and video recordings at congresses, workshops, meetings and other events for the purposes of documenting and communicating its activities.

Photographs and recordings may be used in Montessori Europe publications, on our website, in newsletters, on our social-media channels and in other communications relating to our work.

Where consent is legally required for the taking or publication of identifiable photographs or recordings, Montessori Europe will obtain the appropriate consent. Where children or adolescents are involved, appropriate additional safeguards and consent procedures are applied.

In other circumstances, photographs or recordings of events may be taken and published where this is permitted by applicable law and provided that the legitimate interests and rights of the individuals concerned are respected.

Participants will, where appropriate, be informed that photography or filming is taking place and may contact Montessori Europe if they have concerns about the use of their image.

11. External Websites, Social Media and Other Content

Our website may contain links to external websites and social-media platforms.

Where these are ordinary links, personal data is not transmitted to the external provider merely because you visit the Montessori Europe website. If you choose to follow an external link, the privacy practices of the relevant third-party provider will apply.

The website may also publish job advertisements, announcements and other content supplied by third parties. Where such content directs you to another website or organisation, any personal information you provide to that third party is subject to that organisation’s own privacy practices.

Montessori Europe is not responsible for data processing undertaken independently by third-party websites and organisations.

12. Sharing of Personal Data

We share personal data only where there is a lawful reason for doing so.

This may include service providers that support our membership administration, communications, website, event registration and payment processing. These currently include Webling, Mailchimp, Hosting Deals/xneelo, Eventzilla and PayPal, as described above.

Where a service provider processes personal data on our behalf, appropriate contractual arrangements are put in place where required by the GDPR.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

We do not sell personal data to third parties.

13. International Transfers

Some of the service providers used by Montessori Europe are located, or process personal data, outside the European Economic Area.

Where personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area, we take appropriate measures to comply with the GDPR. Depending on the country and provider, these may include an adequacy decision adopted by the European Commission, participation in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where applicable, or safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses.

The GDPR expressly requires the privacy information to tell individuals about relevant third-country transfers and the applicable safeguards.

14. How Long We Keep Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or for as long as required under applicable legal, accounting, taxation or regulatory requirements.

The retention period therefore depends on the type of information and the purpose for which it is processed.

When personal data is no longer required, it is deleted or anonymised as appropriate.

15. Your Data Protection Rights

Under the GDPR, and subject to the applicable legal requirements, you have the right to:

• request access to the personal data we hold about you;
• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
• request deletion of your personal data;
• request restriction of processing;
• request data portability where applicable;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests;
• withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on your consent; and
• lodge a complaint with a competent data-protection supervisory authority.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn. These transparency and data-subject rights are provided principally under Articles 13 and 15–21 GDPR.

To exercise your rights or ask a question about your personal data, please contact:

16. Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you believe that your personal data has been processed in breach of applicable data-protection law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority.

As Montessori Europe e.V. has its registered office in Berlin, the relevant supervisory authority is:

You may also contact another competent supervisory authority where permitted under the GDPR.

17. Data Security

Montessori Europe takes appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful loss, alteration, destruction, unauthorised disclosure or access.

These measures are reviewed and adapted as appropriate, taking account of the nature of the information being processed and the associated risks.

18. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our activities, services, service providers or applicable legal requirements.

The current version will always be available on the Montessori Europe website.