The EU is organised in such a way that national authorities and courts have the main responsibility for correctly applying EU law.
Therefore, you should use all the possible means of redress at national level (administrative, judicial and/or out-of-court mediation mechanisms) before bringing your complaint to the Commission.
National courts
You can bring your complaint to the judicial system of the country where the problem occurred. Find out more about national judicial systems or going to court.
If solving your problem requires the annulment of a national decision, be aware that only the national courts can annul it, and only if this is not time barred. The Commission cannot do this.
If you are seeking compensation for damages, only the national courts have the power to order national authorities to compensate individuals for losses they have suffered due to a breach of EU law. The Commission cannot do this.
National Ombudsmen
Depending on the system in your country, you could also submit your complaint to the national Ombudsman or the regional Ombudsman.
National equality bodies
If you are a victim of discrimination and are looking for help, you can contact the national equality body in your country
Data protection authorities
If you think that the processing of your personal data is in breach of the EU’s data protection rules, you can lodge a complaint with the national data protection authorities.
European consumer centres
If you have a dispute with a trader in another EU country, you can seek help from the European consumer centres (a Europe-wide network of consumer advice centres).
Passenger rights
EU rules require EU countries to nominate or create national enforcement bodies, whose role is to check that transport operators are following EU rules on passengers rights. Passengers who believe their rights have been breached should contact the body in the country where the incident took place.
Environmental complaints
The Commission has published information on how to deal with environmental problems in national courts. This includes factsheets in all official EU languages explaining how to protect your rights under EU environmental law, including when facing damage to the environment, health or property. Find out more on the e-Justice portal.
Your Europe Advice
Your Europe Advice offers legal advice on your EU rights. They can help you to better understand how the law applies in your particular case and explain how you can exercise your rights under EU law.
SOLVIT
SOLVIT is a service provided by the national authorities for dealing with cross-border problems related to the incorrect application of EU law by national public administrations in the EU single market. There is a SOLVIT centre in every EU country plus in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Your EU country will try to solve your problem with the other EU country concerned.
Going through SOLVIT could take less time than making a formal complaint to the Commission and could solve your individual problem.
If a problem goes unresolved, or you think the proposed solution is not acceptable, you can still pursue legal action through a national court or lodge a formal complaint with the Commission.
However, if you opt to go through SOLVIT first, you may lose some time, if you eventually have to bring your case before the national courts (any time limits that apply will not be suspended).
FIN-Net
FIN-Net is a network for resolving financial disputes out of court in EU countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. They are responsible for handling disputes between consumers and financial services providers.