1. An informal problem solving network launched by the Commission and operated by the Member States. There is a SOLVIT Centre in every Member State. SOLVIT Centres try to solve problems which include 3 essential elements: - a cross border complaint, - caused by a perceived misapplication of EU law, - by a public authority of the host Member State SOLVIT cannot assist when: - Legal proceedings are already under way - When the problem is business-to-business or consumer-to-business.

2. How SOLVIT Works SOLVIT requires that two Member States are involved in cases to reflect the cross border nature of complaints. Citizens should contact the SOLVIT Centre in the country of their nationality by email or via the online SOLVIT database. Example: Lithuanian national moving to Ireland experiences problems with the Social Security Authority: Citizen Lithuanian SOLVIT (for assessment) Irish SOLVIT Centre Irish Authority Where a SOLVIT case remains unresolved the citizen can make a formal complaint to the European Commission. More information can be found in all EU languages: http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/

3. Case Load and Problem type 2012-2013 reporting period, SOLVIT handled 3,023 cases of which 1,238 fell within its mandate.

4. Sample Cases Professional Qualifications A Polish occupational therapist applied for recognition of her qualifications in Ireland. The Irish authorities refused her Polish diploma as it was not recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapist (WFOT). Social Security An Irish national worked in Rome as a teacher. On her return to Ireland she made a claim to the Irish authority for social benefits. The Irish authority required information on her employment in Italy to process her claim and had requested this information from the Italian authority a number of times over a 2 year period without success. Visa UK national living in the Philippines with his wife applied for a visa to travel to Ireland. The Irish Embassy refused the visa stating that the UK national must have already been resident in Ireland before his wife could join him there. The Embassy also sought excessive documentation.

5. Business Case A patent lawyer based in Liechtenstein was refused permission to register a European patent by the Irish Patent Office because his address in Liechtenstein was outside the EU. This decision was wrong. Although not an EU country, Liechtenstein is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and part of the European patent system. SOLVIT intervened and the Irish Patent Office registered the patent.

6. Thank you for your attention. You can visit the Commission SOLVIT website at: http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/ SOLVIT Ireland SOLVIT Lithuania solvit@djei.iesolvit@ukmin.lt