Brussels, 11/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - Four years after being set up, the SOLVIT network continues to grow despite limited funding. With a 61% increase in cases dealt with in 2005, compared with the previous year, the network set up by the Commission and Member States in July 2002 to remedy problems relating to the misapplication of Community law, dealt with 465 new cases from individuals and companies last year, as against 289 in 2004. 77% of cases were resolved, more than half within ten weeks, showing SOLVIT provides an effective and efficient alternative approach to problem-solving, says a Commission report published on Thursday. “More and more citizens and businesses are getting quick and hassle-free help on enforcing their rights in the EU single market, without having to go through expensive and complicated legal procedures,” said Charlie McCreevy, Internal Market Commissioner. In a press release, however, he warned Member States and encouraged them to “recognise that they now need to invest more in their national SOLVIT centres so that these encouraging trends can continue”.
Individuals and businesses can access SOLVIT which, through its pragmatic solutions, offers practical results in the event of misapplication of Community rules, and much more quickly than official procedures. The Commission says that, apart from dealing with cases resulting from bad administrative practices at national, regional or local level, SOLVIT centres are prepared to consider cases of non-transposition or incorrect transposition of the rules while national law comes into line with Community law. This shows that the network can also help to bring about change in administrative culture, by making national administrations more active in pursuing the necessary legal changes to ensure that citizens and businesses can effectively exercise their rights in Europe, stresses the Commission. 71% of SOLVIT cases were submitted by individuals, and half of all problems were in the areas of social security and recognition of professional qualifications. The remaining 21% of cases came from businesses, whose main problem areas were market access for products and the provision of services and establishment. (The full report is available at http: //.ec.europa.eu/solvit)