A complaint about Flanders Investment & Trade?

1. First talk to the department you have a complaint about

Are you dissatisfied with the functioning of Flanders Investment & Trade? As a first step, we urge you to contact the FIT department or staff member in question. Chances are, you’ll be able to come to a solution together.

If you do not agree with a decision in a subsidy application, it’s best to first check whether an administrative appeal procedure has been set up for your application. Information on the possibilities for appeal and contact details are included in the letter or e-mail you received. If that proves not to be viable, you can take the next step and call upon the complaints mediator for Flanders Investment & Trade.

You can reach the complaints mediator via the online complaint form.

The complaint must concern the functioning of Flanders Investment & Trade, e.g.,

• A FIT employee or department did not answer your questions or did not answer your question in a timely manner.

• In your application file, a FIT employee or department has not applied the regulations correctly (and you have gone through the administrative appeal procedure, if available).

• A FIT employee or department has treated you unkindly or unfairly.

• You have suffered damage caused by a FIT employee or department.

• ...

Always include:

• an accurate and clear description of your complaint, which employee and/or department it concerns and the period in which the problem occurred;

• your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. Anonymous complaints cannot be processed.

You will receive a written notification of receipt by letter or e-mail at the latest within 10 calendar days (unless the complaint has already been dealt with within 10 days).

After receiving your complaint, the complaints mediator has 45 calendar days to handle your complaint. This period can be extended once by an additional 45 calendar days. 

If a complaint is not dealt with, the complaints mediator must justify this in writing.

If you are not satisfied with the response from the complaints mediator or if you did not receive a prompt response, you can submit your complaint to the Office of the Flemish Ombudsman.

If you and the complaints mediator are unable to reach an agreement, you can contact the Office of the Ombudsman of Flanders.

The Office of the Ombudsman of Flanders can be reached via the toll-free number 1700, every working day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can ask to be put through directly to a member of the ombudsman staff.

Or you can send your complaint to klachten@vlaamseombudsdienst.be. But you can also make a personal appointment via the toll-free number 1700.

Within a week, the Ombudsman will write to you or call you. Some complaints can be resolved quickly, while complaints that require an investigation can take up to 4 months to process.