COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action plan on the Reinforcement of SOLVIT: Bringing the benefits of the Single Market to citizens and businesses
Date: 2017-05-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission
Subjects: EU national, European Economic Area, action programme, administrative cooperation, alternative dispute resolution, cross-border cooperation, free service, infringement of EU law, single market, type of business

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 2.5.2017  COM(2017) 255 final   COMPLIANCE PACKAGE COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action plan on the Reinforcement of SOLVIT: Bringing the benefits of the Single Market to citizens and businesses {SWD(2017) 210 final}  
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

The Single Market is one of Europe's great achievements. It is at the heart of the European 
project, but its benefits do not always materialise because Single Market rules are not always 
known or implemented correctly. At a time when European citizens and businesses expect a 
Europe that protects, empowers and defends, the Single Market is one of Europe's best assets 
to address the challenges of increased globalisation and build a stronger and fairer European 
economy.1 
In its Single Market Strategy2 the Commission endeavoured to achieve a deeper and fairer 
Single Market, one of the ten priorities of the Juncker Commission. To that end, the Strategy 
proposed  improving  opportunities  to  access  markets  across  borders;  making  life  easier  for 
consumers, businesses and public administrations; and bringing the Single Market’s practical 
benefits  to  citizens  and  businesses.  Supporting  all  this,  the  Commission  announced  it  will 
work  hand  in  hand  with  Member  States  to  create  a  real  culture  of  compliance  for  Single 
Market  rules,  with  a  particular  emphasis  on  the  reinforcement  of  existing  tools  such  as 
SOLVIT. 

To  deliver  on  this,  in  the  Joint  Declaration  on  the  EU’s  legislative  priorities  for  2017, 
released  on  13  December  2016,  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission 
reiterated  their  commitment  to  promoting  the  proper  implementation  and  enforcement  of 
existing  legislation.3  On  the  same  day,  the  Commission  adopted  its  Communication  on  EU 
law: Better results through better application4, which sets out how the Commission will step 
up efforts to ensure that EU law is applied, implemented and enforced for the benefit of all. 

SOLVIT5  is  a  free  of  charge  service  provided  since  2002  by  the  national  administration  in 
each  EU  Member  State  and  in  Iceland,  Liechtenstein  and  Norway.  It  works  under  short 
deadlines and provides pragmatic solutions to EU/EEA citizens and businesses when they are 
experiencing  difficulties  with  their  EU  rights  being  recognized  by  public  authorities  in 
particular  while  moving  or  doing  business  cross-border  in  the  EU.6  SOLVIT  deals  with  all 
cross-border7 problems relating to the four freedoms of movement (persons, goods, services 

1  

2 

3 
4 
5 

6  

7  

Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic 
Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions,  Commission  Work  Programme  2017,  Delivering  a  Europe  that 
protects, empowers and defends, COM (2016) 710 final of 25 October 2016. 
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions,  Upgrading the Single Market: more opportunities for people and 
business, COM (2015) 550 final of 28 October 2015. 
 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/publications/joint-declaration-eus-legislative-priorities-2017_en 
C/2016/8600, OJ C 18, 19.1.2017, p. 10.  
To  resolve  problems,  SOLVIT  centres  cooperate  directly  via  an  online  application.  The  principles  governing 
SOLVIT  were  restated  in  its  current  legal  basis,  Commission  Recommendation  2013/461/EU  of  17  September 
2013 (OJ L 249, 19.9.2013, p. 10). For more information, see http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/  
As defined in the 2013 Recommendation, a cross border problem is a problem an applicant in one Member State 
(or  EEA  country)  encounters  involving  a  potential  breach  of  EU  law  governing  the  internal  market  by  a  public 
authority  in  another  Member  State  (or  EEA  country);  this  includes  problems  caused  to  applicants  by  their  own 
public  administrations,  after  having  exercised  their  free  movement  rights  or  trying  to  do  so.  For  example,  for 
individuals, when moving to another country or coming back to their own country after having stayed in another 
country;  for  businesses,  when  establishing,  providing  services  or  selling  products  which  are  already  marketed  in 
another Member State (or EEA country). 
SOLVIT  cannot  intervene  in  cases  related  to  purely  national  law,  where  a  public  authority  is  not  involved  and 
where  a  court  proceeding  has  already  been  launched,  for  example  cases  related  to  residence  rights  in  the  EU  of 
third  country  nationals  when  those  rights  do  not  derive  from  a  relationship  with  an  EU  citizen  or  cases  on 
commercial issues between businesses (B2B). 

2 

 
 
 
                                                 
and  capital)  including  policies  closely  linked  to  them  (such  as  taxation,  employment,  social 
policy and transport).  

The network is coordinated by the European Commission. 

Since its launch in 2002, SOLVIT has grown to become a very important means of helping 
EU/EEA citizens and businesses claim their place at the heart of the Single Market. Building 
on 15 years’ experience, SOLVIT's case load has increased from 5 to 200 cases a month. In 
2016, SOLVIT dealt with 2 414 cases. Its centres took an average of 59 days to handle a case 
and resolved 89% of the cases.  

SOLVIT's achievements are built on many success stories – a few examples: 

 A  French  company  requested  a  VAT  refund  from  the  German  authorities  –  but  the  request 
remained  unanswered  for  10  months.  Thanks  to  SOLVIT's  intervention,  within  6  weeks  the 
procedure was speeded up and the company received the amount it had asked for.  

Three  Portuguese  nurses  applied  to  have  their  professional  qualifications  recognised  in 
Spain. Under EU law, the authorities have to respond to the application within three months. 
The  deadline  passed  but  thanks  to  SOLVIT's  intervention,  within  two  weeks  their 
qualifications were recognised in time. 

An  Austrian  artist  wanted  to  register  as  a  resident  in  Luxembourg.  He  handed  in  all  the 
necessary papers to the local authorities but they refused to register him unless he presented 
a  statement  of  support  from  a  resident  in  Luxembourg.  SOLVIT  pointed  out  that  this 
additional requirement was not in line with EU law. The local authority revised its position 
and issued the registration certificate. Thanks to SOLVIT's intervention, the case was solved 
within one week. 

 A Dutch national was prevented from importing a trailer into Bulgaria after moving there. As 
trailers lighter than 750 kg do not have to be registered in the Netherlands, the importer had 
no registration document – so the Bulgarian authorities refused to register the trailer. Thanks 
to SOLVIT's intervention, the case was solved within 13 weeks. 

Qualified  physiotherapists  from  Romania  used  to  suffer  long  delays  getting  recognised  to 
practice in France. SOLVIT intervened within 7 weeks and recognition was promptly granted.  

French aviation authorities had been blocking a Norwegian aviation company from operating 
domestic flights in France. SOLVIT intervened and solved the problem in 10 weeks. 

Whilst SOLVIT was able to solve many problems for citizens and businesses, the increased 
scale of the service has amplified the challenges. More needs to be done for the system to reap 
its  full  potential  as  a  problem-solving  tool.  Member  States  have  been  calling  for  and 
supporting a strengthened SOLVIT that works to the full for citizens and businesses. Back in 
February 2016 the Competitiveness Council called on the Commission to take urgent action 
on this matter.8 Likewise, the European Parliament has repeatedly called for SOLVIT to be 
bolstered.9  

In this context and in line with its political priorities, the Commission is committed to taking, 
together with Member States, further steps to strengthen SOLVIT’s strategic role to make 

8 
9 

See Council conclusions at http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-6622-2016-INIT/en/pdf  
See  the  European  Parliament  Resolution  of  27  February  2014  on  SOLVIT  (2013/2154(INI)),  the  European 
Parliament  report  of  1  October  2015,  Towards  improved  single  market  regulation  (2015/2089(INI),  rapporteur 
Anneleen  Van  Bossuyt)  and  the  European  Parliament  report  of  3  May  2016,  The  Single  Market  Strategy 
(2015/2354(INI), rapporteur Lara Comi). 

3 

 
 
                                                 
the  Single  Market  work  better  in  practice  for  citizens  and  businesses.  This  can  materialize 
only if Member States provide their SOLVIT centres with adequate staffing and recognition 
within their national administration. The weakest link impacts the performance of the network 
as a whole. 

In  achieving  this  objective,  the  Commission  is  building  on  its  assessment  of  the  current 
functioning  of  SOLVIT,10  accompanying  this  Communication.  The  assessment  has 
highlighted  shortcomings  requiring  improvements,  notably  as  regards  the  administrative 
capacity  at  SOLVIT  centres;  meeting  the  quality  criteria  set  out  in  the  2013  SOLVIT 
Recommendation;  awareness of SOLVIT as  a problem-solving tool, especially among start-
ups, SMEs and other businesses; and its role in EU law enforcement.  

The Action Plan outlined in this Communication will work alongside the other Commission 
initiatives  included  in  the  compliance  package,  in  particular  the  Single  Digital  Gateway, 
which will provide citizens and businesses with a single access point to Single Market-related 
information, assistance, advice, problem-solving services and e-procedures. It tallies with the 
Commission Communication 'Europe’s next leaders: the Start-up and Scale-up Initiative', as it 
aims  to  further  remove  barriers  for  start-ups  wanting  to  operate  across  borders.  Lastly,  it 
complements the aims of the 'European pillar of social rights' and related initiatives, reflecting 
this Commission’s priority of promoting social fairness and opportunities in the EU. 

This  Communication  is  setting  out  measures  to  strengthen  SOLVIT  with  timelines  to  be 
implemented  both  at  the  EU  and  Member  States  level.  Strengthening  SOLVIT  will  be  an 
ongoing  process  and  the  timelines  will  allow  monitoring  of  the  implementation  of  the 
necessary measures. They aim to promote SOLVIT by (I) further improving its quality, (II) 
further  increasing  awareness-raising  activities  and    (III)  upgrading  its  role  in  EU  law 
enforcement.  

I. 

PROMOTING SOLVIT BY FURTHER IMPROVING ITS  QUALITY 

the  2013  SOLVIT 
Minimum  operational  and  quality  standards  are  outlined 
Recommendation.  Respect  for  these  standards  throughout  the  network  is  important  for  the 
applicants and the cooperation between the centres. The application of these standards varies 
across the network as explained in the assessment accompanying this Communication. Action 
is  therefore  needed  to  improve  the  overall  quality  of  SOLVIT  notably  in  terms  of 
administrative capacity, handling of complex and sensitive cases and legal expertise.   

in 

A precondition for this is that Member States ensure that SOLVIT centres are well resourced 
and positioned with adequate and stable staffing and with the necessary legal expertise.  For 
its part, the Commission will continue to draw on means such as the yearly reporting on the 
performance of SOLVIT in monitoring adequate staffing of SOLVIT centres, and will use the 
Single  Market  Scoreboard  to  report  on  the  outcome.  The  Commission  will  also  use  all 
available  EU  funding  opportunities  to  offer  Member  States  tailored  support  in  boosting 
their administrative capacity and in making their SOLVIT centres operate more effectively. 
In particular, an advanced training course for staff in the national SOLVIT centres, focusing 
on specific legal issues of particular importance for the business community is foreseen to be 
funded  through  the  COSME  2018  programme.  The  new  Structural  Reform  Support 

10  

See  Commission  Staff  Working  document  'Assessment  of  the  performance  of  SOLVIT'  accompanying  this 
Communication. 

4 

 
 
 
                                                 
programme  also,  envisages  support  for  Member  States'  administrative  capacity  (amongst 
other exchanges of experts and technical assistance). 

In addition, a better handling of complex and sensitive cases between the Commission and 
Member  States  should  be  ensured.  For  that  purpose,  more  efficient  knowledge  sharing  for 
example  by  using  interactive  tools  complementing  face-to-face  trainings,  will  be  promoted. 
This is essential taking into account the variety of legal areas covered by SOLVIT as shown 
in figure 1. 

Figure 1: Legal areas SOLVIT 2002-2016 (source SOLVIT database) 

In  addition,  further  specific  legal  expertise  could  be  provided  by  SOLVIT  branches 
('antennas')  set  up  to  respond  to  particular  needs  in  a  certain  sector  or  area  where national 
policy experts  will be involved  in  handling  complex cases directly. To avoid  confusion and 
duplication of efforts, the Commission is striving to avoid a proliferation of problem solving 
tools  similar  to  SOLVIT  in  specific  areas  of  Single  Market  legislation.  The  mutual 
recognition of non-harmonised goods is potentially a good case in point. Here, if SOLVIT’s 
informal approach fails, the Commission will look at the possibility of introducing an appeal 
procedure  for  businesses,  as  part  of  the  review  of  enforcement  of  the  mutual  recognition 
principle. Another area identified is problems related to tax rules such as tax discrimination 
citizens may be facing in cross-border situations.11 
Moreover,  the  Commission  will  provide  more  effective  legal  support  to  the  network  by 
opening the SOLVIT application for direct communication between Commission experts and 
SOLVIT centres. It will also further improve the management of divergent views between the 
two SOLVIT centres involved in the assessment and handling of a case. The Commission will 

11 

The better use of SOLVIT as a pragmatic tool to tackle problems related to tax rules in cross-border situations was 
identified as one of the actions in the EU citizenship report 2017 to strengthen citizens' rights. Every year, SOLVIT 
handles approximately 35 citizens cases related to personal taxation problems with a resolution rate of 86%.  

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
follow a more structured arbitration procedure, with more systematic monitoring of SOLVIT 
cases to identify controversial issues and discussions with the network. Using ‘peer review’ in 
workshops will help identify best practice and common rules. 

In addition, the Commission will monitor the quality of the case handling more closely. Here, 
feedback  from  applicants  is  important  to  improve  procedures,  pinpoint  best  practice  and 
therefore  enhance  quality  of  service.  Thus,  a  comprehensive  user  survey  system  will  be 
developed in consultation with the SOLVIT centres. 

II. 

PROMOTING SOLVIT BY INCREASING AWARENESS- RAISING ACTIVITIES 

Although  it  is  not  possible  to  assess  the  exact  size  of  the  cross  border  dispute  resolution 
'market'  where  SOLVIT  is  potentially  active,  a  Single  Market  of  500  million  citizens  and 
businesses would imply that there is a greater need for SOLVIT than its current 2 500 cases 
would indicate.12  

Figure 2 shows the number of cases submitted to the network by the SOLVIT home centres. 
These are the centres from the EU/EEA Member State13 where the applicant is originally from 
(nationality), is residing, is established or derives rights from. Although the difference in the 
case  load  can  to  some  extent  be  explained  by  the  differences  in  size  and  cross-border 
mobility,  there  is  room  for  targeted  awareness  raising  activities  in  all  EEA/EU  Member 
States.  These  activities  will  focus  on  making  sure  citizens  and  businesses  are  directed  to 
SOLVIT the moment they seek redress for a problem within SOLVIT’s remit according to the 
needs of each EEA/EU Member State. 

1500

1200

900

600

300

0

K
U

E
D

L
P

U
H

S
E

R
F

G
B

Z
C

T
I

T
P

L
N

E
B

O
R

T
A

K
S

E
S

E
I

K
D

U
L

R
G

I

V S
L

T
L

I
F

Y
C

O
N

E
E

R
H

T
M

S
I

I
L

Figure 2: Cases per home SOLVIT centre  2002-2016 (source SOLVIT database).  

To  increase  the  overall  'findability'  of  SOLVIT,  the  Commission  will  further  improve 
SOLVIT’s overall visibility on the Your Europe web portal (the main current access point).  

In this context, the future Single Digital Gateway would provide citizens and businesses with 
easy access to comprehensive, high-quality information on the Single Market, to personalised 

12  
13  

See Staff Working document 'Assessment on the functioning of SOLVIT' accompanying this Communication.  
These cases are submitted against the SOLVIT centre of the EEA/EU Member State where the problem occurred. 

6 

 
 
 
                                                 
advice,  effective  assistance  and  problem-solving  services.  It  would  link  existing  EU  and 
national mechanisms, including SOLVIT, and thereby increasing its findability.  

The  Commission  will  also  work  closely  with  Member  States  through  the  national  SOLVIT 
centres,  Commission  representations  in  Member  States  and  intermediary  organisations 
(representing certain sectors, professions or interests, chambers of commerce etc.) and step up 
cooperation with other relevant networks14 to develop targeted awareness-raising activities 
(for example joint meetings and training courses, joint social media actions).  

Better  enforcement  benefits  citizens  and  businesses  alike.  When  their  rights  are  breached, 
they  should  be  easily  able  to  identify  and  make  use  of  the  most  appropriate  redress 
mechanism  available.  As  shown  in  figure  3,  over  the  years,  the  proportion  of  citizens'  in 
comparison  to  business  cases  submitted  to  SOLVIT  has  increased.  On  the  one  hand,  this 
shows that SOLVIT has become increasingly  important for mobile citizens in the EU/EEA. 
On the other hand, it has resulted in relatively fewer businesses benefitting from the services 
SOLVIT  offers.  The  main  legal  areas  for  business  cases  in  2016  were  taxation,  free 
movement of services and free movement of goods. The resolution rate of business cases at 
80%  was  lower  than  the  network  average  (89%).  It  is  nonetheless  particularly  good  for  the 
taxation field (where there are many cases of late VAT reimbursement) although less as far as  
the free movement of goods and services is concerned. 

Figure  3:  Evolution  of  citizens'  vis-à-vis  business  cases  2006-2016  (source  SOLVIT 
database). 

14  

This  cooperation  is  wide  ranging.  The  EU  and  national  networks  concerned  here  are  the  European  Enterprise 
Network,  European  Consumer  Centres,  EURES,  Fin-net,  Product  Contact  Points,  Europe  Direct  Information 
Centres  and  European  Network  of  Ombudsmen.  It  includes  the  very  close  links  between  technical  applications 
enabling  complaints  to  be  passed  on  directly  (to  Your  Europe  Advice  and  the  Europe  Direct  call  centre,  for 
instance). It also covers joint seminars or training sessions to make networks aware of each other’s remits, so that 
each can be signposted correctly when necessary. Moreover, this cooperation is provided for in EU legislation: for 
example,  Member  States  must  ensure  that  bodies  responsible  for  promoting  equal  treatment  and  supporting  EU 
workers and their families cooperate with SOLVIT (Directive 2014/54/EU). 

7 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
SOLVIT  should  be  geared  towards  handling  more  business-related  cases.  There  is  a  strong 
need to promote a broader knowledge of the help SOLVIT can offer within the business 
community. It is equally important that similar activities are undertaken at the national level. 

Over  the  years  the  SOLVIT  network  has  built  up  its  cooperation  with  other  relevant 
networks.15  To  this  end,  the  Commission  will  support  moves  to  step  up  cooperation  with 
these networks,  which is particularly relevant to attracting more business cases. Of particular 
importance is the cooperation with the Enterprise Europe Network,  which assists SMEs and 
start-ups that operate or plan to operate across borders.  

The Commission will make more regular contact with intermediary organisations to receive 
their  input  on  possible  improvements  to  SOLVIT  and  knowledge-sharing.  It  will  also 
introduce  new arrangements  to  allow intermediary organisations to  submit and follow cases 
directly in SOLVIT. 

In general, more strategic awareness-raising activities about SOLVIT and the development of 
more  structured  cooperation  with  intermediary  organisations  and  relevant  networks,  will 
enhance  SOLVIT's  role  in  providing  useful  feedback  and  evidence  on  how  the  Single 
Market  is  functioning  in  practice:  with  a  larger  ‘critical  mass’  of  cases,  involving  more 
businesses,  there  will  be  more  relevant  and  significant  input  in  terms  of  Single  Market 
governance.  This  can  be  done  for  instance  by  using  its  evidence  base  in  evaluations  of 
possible changes in Single Market policies and adoption of EU legislation to address gaps of 
EU  law,  as  was  the  case  in  the  revision  of  the  2005/36/EC  Directive  on  professional 
qualifications.16  Promoting  quality  and  awareness  of  SOLVIT  will  contribute  to  a  more 
significant role of SOLVIT in EU law enforcement. 

15  
16  

Idem. 
Directive 2013/55/EU OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 132–170. 

8 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
III. 

PROMOTING   SOLVIT  BY UPGRADING ITS ROLE IN EU LAW ENFORCEMENT  

Many problems relating to the implementation of EU law are detected by the network. Figure 
4  shows  the  number  of  cases  submitted  against  the  lead  SOLVIT  centre  in  each  EEA/EU 
Member State.17  

2400

2100

1800

1500

1200

900

600

300

0

DE FR UK ES IT IE PT BE GR RO AT CY NL SE LU PL DK CZ HUNO HR BG SK SI MT FI LV LT EE IS LI

Figure 4: Cases per lead SOLVIT centre 2002-2016 (source SOLVIT database). 

Over  the  years,  as  shown  in  figure  5,  SOLVIT  has  received  an  increasing  number  of  cases 
linked either to a structural problem in the national legislation incorrectly implementing EU 
law in a EEA/EU Member State,18 or where the problem is recurrent. Nevertheless, as laid out 
in  the  assessment  accompanying  this  Communication,  the  current  handling,  follow-up  and 
reporting on these cases does not allow for a systematic use of the evidence amassed through 
SOLVIT to improve Member States' compliance with EU law.  Out of the 97 structural cases 
handled  by  SOLVIT  in  2016,  78  were  unresolved  and  19  solved.  This  corresponds  to  a 
resolution rate of only 20%. 

17  
18  

Lead SOLVIT centre is the centre in the EEA/EU Member State where the problem occurred. 
As defined in the 2013 SOLVIT Recommendation structural problem is a breach caused by a national rule running 
counter to EU law (as opposed to a one-off administrative mistake). A recurrent problem relates to a breach of an 
administrative practice (not a written rule) running counter to EU law. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Figure  5:  Evolution  of  cases  linked  to  structural  problems  in  SOLVIT  2014-2016  (source 
SOLVIT database). 

Member  States  have  the  primary  responsibility  for  transposing,  applying  and  implementing 
EU  law  correctly.  As  a  result,  the  relevant  SOLVIT  centres  need  to  turn  first  to  the 
competent authorities within the Member State concerned to try and find a solution to 
cases linked to structural and recurrent problems identified by the network. However, if 
a  SOLVIT  centre  cannot  persuade  these  authorities  to  address  the  problem,  any  evidence 
gathered  ‘on  the  ground’  should  be  explored  further  in  order  to  identify  problems  with 
significant  impact  on  the  functioning  of  the  Single  Market  as  envisaged  in  the  strategic 
approach to the Commission’s enforcement actions set out in its Communication on  EU law: 
Better results through better application. This is presently being done on an ad-hoc basis but 
a  more  comprehensive  and  systematic  approach  should  be  developed.  Furthermore,  in 
particular  structural  cases  and  where  necessary  and  proportionate,  the  envisaged  Single 
Market Information Tool, could be used by  the Commission to request information, such as 
cost structure, pricing policy, profits or employment contracts directly from concerned market 
players. 

Commission  investigations  of  issues  detected  through  SOLVIT  will  provide  an  incentive  to 
national authorities to cooperate more closely with the SOLVIT network. At the national level 
there  should  be  stronger  links  between  SOLVIT  centres,  complaint  handling  contact  points 
and  infringement  coordinators  so  that  Member  States  do  more  to  remedy  structural  and 
recurrent  problems.  In  addition,  available  data  and  evidence  in  such  cases  could  be 
disseminated and used in a more structured and systematic way across the Commission 
and  at  national  level.  The  SOLVIT  database  should  be  improved  to  record  structural  and 
recurrent problems and allow Member States to report on the action taken to remedy them.   
Using means such as the Single Market Scoreboard, the Commission will regularly inform 
Member States and relevant stakeholders about such breaches of EU law and other obstacles 
to the Single Market detected through SOLVIT.  

In  line  with  the  strategic  approach  to  the  Commission’s  enforcement  actions,  citizens  and 
businesses  should  be  advised  and  encouraged  to  use  the  most  appropriate  problem-

10 

 
 
 
  
 
solving  mechanism  available.  Subject  to  the  complainant's  agreement,  SOLVIT’s  fast  and 
informal  redress  mechanism  could  deal  with  individual  complaints  submitted  to  the 
Commission when appropriate and within SOLVIT’s mandate.  

In  the  context  of  the  EU  e-Government  Action  Plan,  the  Commission  will  explore  the 
feasibility of the 'once only principle'.19 This would obviate citizens and businesses wishing 
to complain to the Commission for the first time following an unresolved SOLVIT case from 
having to re-submit information already held in SOLVIT. This will allow the Commission, in 
assessing  the  case,  to  make  full  use  of  the  legal  analysis  and  evidence  already  collected 
through SOLVIT, in a more effective and efficient process. 

IV. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The Commission is committed to ensuring that citizens and businesses enjoy to the full all the 
benefits of the Single Market: its full potential in terms of new jobs and growth opportunities 
can only be realised when rights enshrined in EU legislation are well known to all actors, as 
well as fully and consistently respected across borders. 

The Commission will bring its full support to improving the quality of the SOLVIT network 
through  capacity  building  and  knowledge  sharing  with  Member  States.  In  addition,  by 
boosting  the  use  of  SOLVIT  by  businesses  and  fostering  further  cooperation  with  other 
relevant  networks,  the  Commission  will  ensure  that  feedback  from  SOLVIT  is  more 
significant  and  is  fully  taken  on  board  when  designing  future  Single  Market  policies  and 
legislation.  Finally  it  will  upgrade  its  role  in  EU  law  enforcement  by  using  the  evidence 
gathered through SOLVIT in a more structured and systematic way.  

The  three  areas  identified  in  this  Action  Plan  complement  each  other.  Making  the  planned 
measures a reality will only be possible through joint commitment and ownership between the 
Commission  and  the  Member  States,  at  all  levels  of  administration.  Adequate  staffing  and 
recognition  of  SOLVIT  centres  within  their  national  administrations  is  a  prerequisite  for 
strengthening  SOLVIT.  The  Commission,  in  cooperation  with  the  EEA/EU  Member  States, 
will  coordinate  activities  and  regularly  report  on  progress  on  implementation  of  this  Action 
Plan through the bi-annual SOLVIT workshops. 

This joint effort will reinforce SOLVIT in its unique role of ensuring compliance with EU law 
by  national  authorities,  whilst  delivering  practical  redress  for  problems  encountered  by 
businesses and citizens for problems with  their rights within the Single Market. This will in 
turn provide new opportunities for citizens and businesses and help them make sure they can 
enjoy their Single Market rights to the full.  

19 

EU  e-government  action  plan  2016-2020,  COM  (2016)  179  final.  Under  the  ‘once  only’  principle,  public 
administrations  should  ensure  that  people  and  businesses  supply  the  same  information  only  once  to  a  public 
administration. Public administration offices take action if permitted to internally re-use this data, in due respect of 
data protection rules, so that no additional burden falls on people and businesses. 

11 

 
 
 
                                                 
Commission measures: 

Roadmap to strengthening SOLVIT20 

explore the possibility of an appeal procedure for businesses in the area 
of mutual recognition for goods; 

make  use  of  the  existing  funding  possibilities  at  EU  level  such  as  the 
COSME and the Structural Reform Support programme  to build up the 
administrative capacity of SOLVIT centres; 

develop, in cooperation with the SOLVIT centres, a comprehensive user 
survey system; 

provide more direct and effective legal support to the network  using an 
improved  facility  for  informal  legal  advice,  interactive  training  tools 
and managing divergent views; 

enhance cooperation and partnerships with intermediary  organisations 
(representing  certain  sectors,  professions  or  interests,  chambers  of 
commerce etc.)  and relevant networks by enabling a direct connection 
with SOLVIT; 

improve  SOLVIT’s  findability  through  Your  Europe,  subsequently  as 
part of the wider Single Digital Gateway; 

make more structured and systematic use, through an improved facility, 
of the data and evidence available in the SOLVIT database for targeted 
EU law enforcement; 

explore  the  feasibility  of  the  ‘once  only’  principle  in  cases  where 
applicants  wish  to  file  a  formal  complaint  with  the  Commission 
following an unresolved SOLVIT case. 

Member States measures: 

ensure  adequate  and  stable  staffing,  continuity  of  service  and  an 
adequate level of knowledge of EU law in their SOLVIT centres; 

ensure  cooperation  with  national  intermediary  organisations  and  the 
national  contact  points  of  the  different  existing  networks  by  using  a 
direct connection with SOLVIT; 

ensure  seamless  cooperation  between  the  SOLVIT  centres  and  the 
national  complaint  and  infringement  coordinators;  through  their 
national  SOLVIT  centres,  report  systematically  on  progress  made  to 
address structural and recurrent cases. 

Timeline  

Q2 2017 

Q3 2017 

Q3 2017 

Q2 2018 

Q2 2018  

Q2 2018 

Q2 2018 

Q2 2018 

ongoing 

Q2 2018 

Q2 2018 

20  

Actions indicated for 2018 are either related to a substantial development of the SOLVIT application or a foreseen 
adoption of EU legislation (e.g. the Single Digital Gateway). 

12