Legal Notice & Governance Statement

EASEC — European Accreditation of Soft Skills & Employability Competencies®  ·  Last updated: August 2026  ·  Applies globally across all EASEC services and platforms

1. Introduction

EASEC — European Accreditation of Soft Skills & Employability Competencies — is an independent international certification authority dedicated to evaluating, certifying, and credentialling transversal competencies and employability skills under internationally recognised standards including ESCO, EQF, Tuning, the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Framework, UNESCO, and O*NET.

This Legal Notice and Governance Statement communicates EASEC's legal identity, regulatory positioning, governance structure, and the role of EASEC as an independent certification authority. It should be read together with EASEC's Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Cookie Policy, and Acceptable Use Policy, which contain the detailed terms governing data protection, service use, and platform conduct.

2. Legal Entities

Both entities operate under a unified governance framework. References to "EASEC" throughout the remainder of this Notice apply to both entities where relevant to the context.

3. Scope of Services

EASEC operates across three verticals — EASEC for Schools, EASEC for Higher Education, and EASEC for Work — structured commercially through four service lines:

1. Programme Accreditation — independent evaluation and accreditation of academic and training programmes against international competency frameworks (ESCO, EQF, Tuning, WEF Future of Jobs).
2. Diagnostic and Certification Assessments — Certification Centre — administration of EASEC's psychometric competency assessments and issuance of individual certifications through authorised institutional Certification Centres or directly to individual consumers (B2C).
3. Professional Profile Certifications — assessment-based certification of defined competency profiles relevant to specific occupational roles and domains, comprising ten professional certification programmes.
4. Talent Intelligence Platform — the EASEC for Work SaaS platform (work.easec.eu) for consultancies, HR departments, and organisations.

EASEC currently offers a catalogue of thirty-two (32) transversal competency assessments and ten (10) professional certification programmes. EASEC reserves the right to expand, update, or restructure the competency catalogue at any time by incorporating new assessment instruments, subject to the same psychometric validation standards applicable to the existing catalogue.

EASEC also operates the Skills-First Employer Network (skillsfirst.easec.eu), subject to its own specific terms and conditions, and the EASEC International Cooperation Programme, subject to the applicable cooperation agreement or memorandum of understanding with each participating institution.

4. Platforms and Domains

5. Role of EASEC as Independent Certification Authority

Irrespective of how an individual accesses EASEC services — directly as a consumer (B2C), through an institution, through an employer, through an Authorised Partner, or through the International Cooperation Programme — EASEC acts as the independent legal issuer of all competency certifications and digital credentials. Specifically, EASEC:

• Determines and applies all certification methodologies, scoring rules, and competency frameworks.
• Is the sole authority responsible for deciding whether a certification is issued, maintained, or revoked.
• Maintains all certification records, audit trails, and verification systems permanently.
• Is responsible for the authenticity, integrity, and permanent availability of issued credentials.
• Operates as a trust infrastructure enabling credential traceability and public verification via cert.easec.eu/certificates/verify.
• Maintains the Assessment Integrity Framework (AIF) governing the integrity of all assessment processes.
• Maintains a formal appeals and complaints procedure aligned with ISO/IEC 17024 (Policy P-APR-01), ensuring that any individual may appeal a certification or enforcement decision through an independent procedure.

Co-branded credentials include an institution's or employer's logo but this does not alter EASEC's role as sole legal issuing authority, nor does it transfer to institutions any ownership of, or responsibility for, certification data held by EASEC.

6. Digital Credentials

EASEC issues credentials in the following formats:

• Co-branded digital diploma (PDF)
• Verifiable digital credential (LinkedIn-shareable)
• Open Badge 3.0
• Europass Digital Credential (EDC)
• Blockchain-anchored credential — EASEC is developing an additional anchoring layer based on Polygon Soulbound Tokens (SBT). Where this feature is activated, full terms will be published separately.

Credential metadata includes framework alignment data mapped to ESCO, EQF, Tuning, WEF Future of Jobs, UNESCO, and O*NET as applicable. Each credential carries a stated validity of three (3) years from issuance. Credential records are never deleted from EASEC's certification registry. All credentials are publicly verifiable at https://cert.easec.eu/certificates/verify.

7. Personal EASEC Wallet

Upon completing any EASEC assessment, each individual receives a permanent, free personal EASEC Wallet account at cert.easec.eu. The Wallet belongs exclusively to the individual and cannot be restricted or closed by any institution, employer, partner, or cooperation programme. Through the Wallet, individuals may view and download credentials, share them to professional platforms, manage institutional and employer data access permissions, and configure processing preferences. Full details are set out in the Privacy Policy.

8. EASEC AI Engine — Governance Statement

EASEC deploys the EASEC AI Engine as a situational assessment dimension within its diagnostic and certification instruments. The AI Engine presents AI-generated situational scenarios and produces interpretive qualitative analyses of participant responses. This dimension is interpretive and developmental — it does not constitute, influence, or modify the participant's certified competency score.

Transparency and EU AI Act Compliance

EASEC operates the AI Engine in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (EU AI Act), including the transparency obligations set out in Article 50 and, where applicable, the risk classification and conformity requirements relevant to AI systems used in educational and employment contexts. Participants are informed within the assessment interface, before initiating the AI Engine dimension, that they are interacting with an AI system, that their response will be processed by AI, and that human review is available. EASEC monitors regulatory developments under the EU AI Act and will update its compliance measures as implementing provisions and standards are adopted.

AI Engine Data Restriction

AI Engine data (open-text response, AI-generated interpretive analysis, internal competency indicator) is accessible exclusively to the individual participant through their EASEC Wallet. It is never shared with institutions, employers, Authorised Partners, or any third party under any circumstances.

AI Sub-Processors

EASEC uses OpenAI, LLC (USA) and Anthropic PBC (USA) as language model sub-processors under data processing agreements that prohibit use of EASEC data for model training. All AI Engine data is stored exclusively within EASEC's EEA infrastructure (Google Cloud Platform EU, DigitalOcean EU). Full details of AI sub-processors and data processing arrangements are set out in the Privacy Policy.

9. Regulatory Framework and Standards Alignment

EASEC operates in compliance with the following regulatory frameworks and standards:

• Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) — General Data Protection Regulation
• Spanish Organic Law 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) — on Personal Data Protection and Guarantee of Digital Rights
• Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (EU AI Act) — Artificial Intelligence Act
• Regulation (EU) 910/2014 (eIDAS) — on electronic identification and trust services
• Europass Digital Credentials Infrastructure (EDCI)
• Open Badge 3.0 Standard (1EdTech)
• 1EdTech CASE (Competency and Academic Standards Exchange)
• Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA) — where Innzpira LLC is the processing entity
• ISO 9001 — Quality Management (certified)
• ISO 27001 — Information Security Management (certified)
• ISO/IEC 17024 — Conformity Assessment — General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons (appeals and complaints procedure aligned)

IT service management practices are aligned with ISO 20000 principles, with formal certification included in EASEC's strategic roadmap.

EASEC also complies with applicable national data protection law in all jurisdictions where it operates, including India (DPDP Act 2023), Brazil (LGPD), Colombia (Ley 1581), Chile (Ley 21.096 / Ley 19.628), Argentina (Ley 25.326), Mexico (LFPDPPP), Singapore (PDPA), and Japan (APPI). Full details are set out in the Privacy Policy.

10. Relationship with Institutions, Employers, Partners, and Consumers

Institutions and Certification Centres

Institutions acting as EASEC Certification Centres are independent Data Controllers for participant data they collect. EASEC is an independent Data Controller for certification records and credentials, and may act as Data Processor for assessment administration and cohort analytics.

Employers and EASEC for Work Clients

Employers and consultancies are Data Controllers for data they introduce into the EASEC for Work platform. EASEC acts as Data Processor for assessment administration and as independent Data Controller for credential issuance and individual EASEC Wallet accounts.

Individual Direct Consumers (B2C)

Where individuals purchase services directly through www.easec.eu, EASEC is the sole Data Controller.

Authorised Partners

EASEC operates an Authorised Partner Network comprising three categories: Authorised Representatives, Authorised Resellers, and Authorised Referral Partners. The rights, obligations, and data processing terms applicable to each category are governed by the applicable EASEC Partner Agreement.

International Cooperation Programme

Institutions accessing EASEC services through the International Cooperation Programme are subject to the Privacy Policy and to the data protection terms set out in the applicable cooperation agreement or memorandum of understanding.

11. Automated Decision-Making and Certification Outcomes

EASEC's competency certification process applies validated psychometric models and predefined scoring rules aligned with internationally recognised competency frameworks. This constitutes automated processing within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR. Individuals have the right to obtain human review of any automated certification decision, to express their point of view, and to contest a decision they believe is incorrect.

In addition to GDPR rights, EASEC maintains a formal appeals and complaints procedure aligned with ISO/IEC 17024 (Policy P-APR-01). Appeals shall be submitted in writing to info@easec.eu. Full details are set out in the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Conditions.

12. Participation of Minors

EASEC for Schools is designed for students aged 15 to 18. All other EASEC services target individuals aged 18 or over. B2C direct purchases are available only to individuals aged 18 or over. Where minors participate through institutions, the institution is solely responsible for obtaining required parental or guardian consents under applicable national law. Institutions must not enrol students under 15 in any EASEC service. Full details are set out in the Privacy Policy.

13. Security

EASEC implements technical and organisational security measures in accordance with its ISO 27001 certification, including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, continuous monitoring, EEA-based cloud infrastructure, and GDPR 72-hour breach notification procedures. Full details are set out in the Privacy Policy.

14. Data Subject Rights

Individuals have the following rights: access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, portability, human review of automated certification decisions (GDPR Article 22), human review and contest of AI Engine analyses (GDPR Article 22 and EU AI Act Article 50), formal appeal through the ISO/IEC 17024-aligned procedure (P-APR-01), withdrawal of consent, permission management through their EASEC Wallet, and the right to lodge a complaint with the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD) at www.aepd.es or with their national supervisory authority.

Requests: mfernandez@easec.eu or info@easec.eu. Response within 30 calendar days.

15. Data Protection Officer

16. Changes to This Notice

EASEC may update this Legal Notice and Governance Statement at any time. Material changes will be communicated by updating the "Last updated" date. Continued use of EASEC services constitutes acceptance of the revised notice. Prior versions are available by contacting info@easec.eu.

17. Contact

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