In 2017, SOLVIT celebrated its 15th anniversary. During this period, SOLVIT centres have considered 17,000 cases filed. Meanwhile, the Latvian SOLVIT centre during its existence by the end of 2017 has received 487 cases, 214 of which were admitted and successfully resolved.
Last year, the SOLVIT centre in Latvia received 45 cases of which 32 cases were admitted. The proportion of resolved cases has risen by 50% compared to 2016, reaching 100% in 2017, well above the European average. This means that in 2017 all the admitted cases were also successfully resolved.
At the same time, in 2017, the Latvian SOLVIT centre has received 13 complaints from entrepreneurs which is historically the largest number of entrepreneur complaints in the existence of the SOLVIT centre in Latvia. Most of the entrepreneurs’ complaints came from foreign entrepreneurs operating in Latvia in connection with decisions taken by the Latvian authorities.
In turn, in 2018, until mid-August, the Latvian SOLVIT centre received 38 cases of which 18 cases were admitted, including one filed by an entrepreneur.
In general, in SOLVIT centres, including the one in Latvia, most complaints received are related to social guarantees - more than half of all cases, while a quarter of them concern residence permits. In turn, entrepreneurs turn to SOLVIT centres when encountering restrictions on the free movement of goods and services, as well as complications with VAT refunds.
The SOLVIT centre is an alternative dispute resolution network set up by the European Commission and Member States in dealing with complaints by citizens and entrepreneurs arising from non-compliance with the EU law by authorities in other EU Member States. It is operated by the national administrations of all EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. SOLVIT services are provided free of charge. The SOLVIT centre addresses problems arising from the recognition of professional qualifications, mutual recognition of goods, freedom of establishment, and other complaints related to the actions of a public authority or when the rights of a resident or an undertaking under EU law are not respected, and the infringement has occurred in another EU Member State.