SOLVIT 5TH ANNIVERSARY

A press conference with Commissioner Mc Creevy in the Berlaymont press room, Brussels, is scheduled for Thursday 12 July, its topic being - problem solving for EU citizens - SOLVIT 5th Anniversary.

Europe Gateway is a partner media to the Bulgarian SOLVIT centre. In connection to this, we are offering some key facts in advance.

The Commission will mark the 5th anniversary of the SOLVIT network which is a free service designed to help citizens and businesses make the most of their EU rights. There is a SOLVIT centre in every European Union Member State (as well as in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).

Since its creation in 2002, the EU's SOLVIT network has provided people living, working, studying, or doing business in another EU country with fast and effective solutions to concrete problems. . For example, SOLVIT has made it easier for an Austrian company to sell its cheese in France, for a British hairdresser to open a salon in Germany and for a Hungarian doctor to work in Ireland.

In November 2001, the European Commission pioneered the idea of an efficient, red tape-free network in which Member States would work together to find fast and pragmatic solutions for problems that EU citizens and businesses may encounter when they move or trade across borders. At the time, the idea was met with scepticism in some quarters, especially with regard to the informality of the approach and the short deadlines to be respected. Nevertheless, in July 2002 SOLVIT was up and running and delivering real solutions within a short time. Today, SOLVIT is regarded as an excellent model for effective cooperation between Member States in a variety of policy areas.

Facts and figures:

• In 2002 SOLVIT registered around 10 new cases per month; five years later this figure has increased to 60.
• Over the past five years, the average resolution rate for SOLVIT cases remained stable at 80 %.
• Of all resolved cases in since 2002, 71% were resolved within the SOLVIT deadline of ten weeks.
• Average case handling time decreased significantly from an average of 79 days in 2002 to 54 days in 2006.
• Citizens submitted two thirds of SOLVIT cases. The major problem areas for citizens were social security, taxation and recognition of professional qualifications.
• Businesses submitted one third of SOLVIT cases. Their main problem areas are taxation, market access for products, the provision of services and freedom of establishment.

Source - European Commission.