RECORD numbers of applications to European citizens’ advice services have revealed a number of failures to follow EU law in Cyprus, it emerged last week.
The two services, SOLVIT and Citizens Signpost Service (CSS) have each seen 54 per cent and 8.5 per cent increases in requests in the past year, revealing at least three cases in which Cypriot authorities did not follow the acquis communautaire.
SOLVIT, founded in 2002, helps citizens and businesses overcome practical problems due to incorrect application of EU law by national administrations while CSS provides free legal advice on internal market rights.
SOLVIT proved invaluable for one British couple in Cyprus, who were seeking permanent resident status in Cyprus. Despite legally residing in Cyprus for five years, the couple’s application for permanent residence was rejected after a year of waiting, because they had not obtained a three month residence permit to prove the continuity of their stay.
They contacted SOLVIT, who notified the Ministry that this was illegal under EU law and that the couple was entitled to permanent residence. After SOLVIT’s intervention, the Ministry issued the documents within 10 weeks and changed its policy on accepting applications for permanent residence.
In another case, a German who used to live in Liechtenstein before moving to Cyprus had his driving licence stolen. The Cypriot authorities refused to issue a new one because the categories listed in the old licence were not recognised in Cyprus and because Liechtenstein was not a member of the EU. When SOLVIT intervened, the authorities reconsidered the case and issued a new licence after all.
In a third case, a Cypriot who acquired a medical degree in Greece had his application to be registered at the Cypriot Medical Registry refused, although he had all the qualifications he needed for this under EU law. After action by SOLVIT, the Cypriot authorities registered the man as a doctor within 12 weeks of his request for help.
Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier said: “To truly take advantage of the Internal Market, citizens and businesses must be able to exercise their rights in practice. SOLVIT and the Citizen Signpost Service are two indispensable tools for empowering Europeans to understand, use and defend their EU rights more effectively.”
The services are now receiving record numbers of requests for help.
In 2009, SOLVIT helped a record number of 1,500 citizens and businesses that ran into difficulties getting their Internal Market rights recognised by national public administrations. This was a 54 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The most frequent areas where problems occurred were residence rights, social security and recognition of professional qualifications. 86 per cent of the cases were successfully resolved, and the average time for treating a case was 59 days.
CSS helped 12,000 citizens in 2009, an increase of 8.5 per cent compared to the previous year. Most of the questions received concerned social security, residence right, work, entry procedures, motor vehicles and taxation.
Building on the successes of SOLVIT and CSS, the Commission now plans to offer a high-quality and ‘one-stop shop’ package of services, which will integrate the two services and enable citizens and businesses to better know, understand and defend their rights in the EU.
n Using either service is straightforward: simply log on to
http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/ or http://ec.europa.eu/citizensrights/ and submit your claim.
