SOLVIT can help if your EU rights are breached

Have you encountered obstacles in your contacts with authorities in the EU or Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein? SOLVIT helps companies and individuals solve problems with their right of free movement on the EU internal market. This service is free of charge.

In this video, Waltraud Heinrich, legal adviser at SOLVIT, explains which obstacles to the right of free movement that SOLVIT can help you with.

Companies and private individuals who encounter problems with an authority blocking their right of free movement can get help from SOLVIT. SOLVIT's internal market advisers investigate the problem from an EU law perspective and have a dialogue with the relevant authority. Sometimes the investigation leads to the authority changing its decision. In other cases, SOLVIT reaches the conclusion that the authority has not done anything wrong according to EU law.

Examples of obstacles to free movement

SOLVIT can help companies that want to do business in another member state, but encounter problems with certain issues, such as, for example:

• offering services or selling goods;
• classification and labelling of products;
• unmotivated tests of already approved goods;
• assessment of standards;
• tax payment; and
• access to Government services.

SOLVIT can help individuals who move to another member state or move back home after living or working in another country, and encounter problems with, for example:

• the right to social security benefits;
• recognition of professional qualifications;
• unreasonably long processing times at an authority; and
• visa issues for EU citizens and family members.

Problem-solving approach

SOLVIT cannot force authorities to change their decisions and does not have the right to decide on sanctions. But SOLVIT's problem-solving approach often leads to both companies and individuals getting the most out of the internal market.

However, SOLVIT cannot help if:

• your company has problems with another company;
• you have problems with your rights as a consumer; or
• you or your company has gone to court with the problem.

There is a SOLVIT centre in every EU country and in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. SOLVIT Sweden is located at the National Board of Trade.