Complaints about validation

If you believe that a validation result is flawed, you can submit a complaint (following the deadline and procedure set out in the message on the validation result).

Generally, the means of redress are the following:

• request for validation review — within 30 days of receiving the message
• request for review of legality under Article 22 of Regulation 58/2003 — within 1 month of receiving the message (using the Article 22 complaints form template)
• action for annulment under Article 263 TFEU — within 2 months of receiving the message.

 You are free to choose any of the above means of redress. However, in the interest of good administration and procedural efficiency, it is recommended to use first the available administrative review procedures (if any). The objective of these procedures is to re-examine the circumstances of the validation procedure and to reach a final decision on your registration. Deadlines for further redress will therefore run as from when you receive our reply with the final position.

Please note that notifications which have not been opened within 10 days after sending are considered to have been accessed and that deadlines will be counted from opening/access (see Portal Terms and Conditions).

When filing a complaint, please take into account that the formal decision was taken by the Central Validation Service hosted in the REA executive agency, and that complaints must therefore be directed against that agency (NOT against the European Commission).

In case you consider that there has been maladministration on the part of the Central Validation Service, you can also address a complaint to the European Ombudsman — within 2 years after you became aware of it AND after having used all the means of administrative redress available (validation review and Article 22 request).