About the European Union

Help on EU issues

Need Help?

Linda is the Labour Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.  If you have a problem with an issue relating to EU law, Linda and her staff can offer advice and may be able to help.

What Can Linda Help With?

Linda can offer advice on any issue that relates to EU law.  Broadly, these fall under the following areas:

  • consumer protection;
  • EU citizenship rights (including freedom of movement and legal rights);
  • employment and trade issues relating to the European Single Market ;
  • environmental protection.

What Linda Cannot Help With

Many areas do not fall under EU law and are solely determined by national governments. Linda cannot help with issues that fall entirely under the UK government, such as education, the health service, social services and criminal and (the majority of) employment law.  Instead, if you have a problem in these areas you should contact your local MP who is best placed to help you.  You can identify your local MP at the following website:  http://www.theyworkforyou.com/    A number of other policy areas fall under the remit of local councils, such as housing, school places, and planning decisions.  In such instances, you should contact your local councillor.

Linda is generally unable to help with issues that constituents face in other EU countries that do not relate to EU law.  In particular, those with homes abroad should be aware that the vast majority of laws relating to property are set exclusively by national governments and MEPs are often extremely limited in the help they can offer in this area when problems arise.   

The ‘European Court of Human Rights’ and ‘European Court of Justice’

The term ‘the European Court’ is often used in the media but actually refers to two totally separate institutions.  The two courts are quite different and should not be confused.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), contrary to popular belief, is not an EU institution. The ECHR actually sits in judgement on cases that relate to the European Convention on Human Rights, which was drafted by a body called the Council of Europe, set up after the Second World War.  Britain is one of 47 member states of the Council of Europe (there are 27 member states of the EU) and has implemented the rights granted by the Convention in UK law under the UK Human Rights Act. 

As the European Convention on Human Rights is implemented in UK law rather than via EU law, cases relating to human rights can only be pursued through the UK legal system.  You should therefore seek professional legal advice about cases where you believe you have a case under the Convention.  The ECHR acts as a final appeals court for human rights cases in situations where all possible avenues available under the UK legal system have been exhausted.  Anyone who has already exhausted all legal avenues in the UK can submit a case for consideration by the ECHR without the need for a solicitor, though you may wish to take legal advice on admissibility. The ECHR has an excellent website via which cases can be submitted, at http://www.echr.coe.int/echr/homepage_EN

The European Court of Justice (ECoJ) is an EU institution.  It exists to ensure that EU law is being applied equally and consistently across the EU by member states and EU bodies.  The ECoJ does not sit in judgement on individual cases but rather acts where it is judged that a member state or EU body is persistently failing to apply EU law appropriately.  Anybody can submit a complaint about non-compliance to the ECoJ, however.
As EU laws are implemented via the national laws of each EU country, individual cases relating to the misapplication of EU law in the UK have to be pursued via the UK legal system.

Help Yourself

There are a number of official EU websites that provide direct free advice and help.  The following are three websites set up by the European Commission that allow EU citizens to quickly submit an online query on EU-related matters and receive a response direct to your email address in a short time.

Europe Direct (http://europa.eu/europedirect/index_en.htm) is the EU’s information service.   It answers general questions relating to the EU, particularly in areas such as EU rights and opportunities and how to exercise them.  It does not answer specific queries but can point you in the right direction.

Almost all queries are answered within three days with complex queries responded to within three weeks. 

Your Europe Advice (http://ec.europa.eu/citizensrights/front_end/index_en.htm) offers basic legal advice on specific cases involving EU law and can advise you on national laws in relevant EU countries that relate to your situation.  The service will not take up your case as a lawyer would but will clarify how EU law is likely to relate to your case.

Most queries are responded to within one week.

Solvit (http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/site/index_en.htm) is a service that will take up cases of individuals to seek a solution in situations involving a cross-border element where EU law has not been applied correctly by an EU member state.  Applications are made to Solvit online for assessment to see if EU law has been misapplied and therefore whether or not Solvit can help.  If Solvit accepts a case, the Solvit centre in the UK will liaise with the reciprocal centre in the relevant EU member state to try to resolve the matter without the need for you to resort to legal action.

Decisions on whether cases can be taken up by Solvit are usually issued within one week. Where cases are taken up, final responses are generally provided with ten weeks.  If Solvit cannot find a resolution, or you do not agree with the proposed resolution, you are still able to seek redress through the appropriate legal channels.