Events

The 2023 Technical Support Instrument Annual Conference officially launched the 2024 round of the Technical Support Instrument, the EU programme that provides tailor-made technical expertise to EU Member States to design and implement reforms. The conference presented the main features of the Technical Support Instrument and defined its priorities for the upcoming year.

The conference discussed the needs for Public Administrations to be fit for the future and adaptable to change. In a context of a constant changing environment, Public Administration play a leading role in building resilience to crises and addressing rapid shifts towards a climate neutral Europe and digital transformations. The conference explored in particular how the Technical Support Instrument can support the Public Administrations in this endeavour.

High-level representatives from the European Commission, Member States (central and local levels) and other institutions shared their experience and perspectives.

Annual conference webpage

About the TSI

The Technical Support Instrument (TSI) is the EU programme that provides tailor-made technical expertise to EU Member States to design and implement reforms.The support is demand driven and does not require co-financing from Member States. It is an important pillar of the EU’s initiative to help Member States mitigate the economic and social consequences of the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis.

Smart, sustainable and socially responsible reforms help to strengthen the resilience of our economies and societies. The TSI offers Member States a unique service to help them tackle reform challenges. The support can take the form of, for example, strategic and legal advice, studies, training and expert visits on the ground. It can cover any phase in the reform process. From preparation and design to development and implementation of the reforms.

The technical support is provided in a wide range of policy areas, including but not limited to climate action, digital transition and health. Member States can also request support to prepare, amend, implement and revise their national recovery and resilience plans under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

By providing on the ground support to overcome reform challenges, the TSI helps Member States to recover from the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, to improve the quality of public services and to reinforce sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The TSI is the successor programme of the Structural Reform Support Programme (2017-2020) and builds on its experience in building capacity in Member States. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) manages the TSI.

TSI support for reforms

starts with a request for support from an EU Member State
is tailor-made to address the country's needs
provides a unique combination of expertise from the European Commission, EU Member States’ national administrations, international organisations and/or the private sector
strengthens the capacity of an EU Member State to carry out reforms
requires no co-financing

Budget

€864 million for the period 2021-2027 (in current prices)

Types of support

EU Member States can request technical support under the TSI to:

implement resilience-enhancing reforms in the context of EU economic governance, such as those arising from country-specific recommendations under the European Semester and by virtue of implementing EU law
prepare, amend, implement and revise national recovery and resilience plans under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
implement economic adjustment programmes
implement reforms undertaken at their own initiative

How does it work?

An EU Member State wishing to receive technical support submits a request to the Commission, via a national Coordinating Authority. This request must be submitted by 31 October of each year.

TSI 2023 Call

The Commission analyses the requests received and enters into dialogue with the national Coordinating Authorities to assess the country' specific needs and the options to support the design and implementation of the reforms.

Support may be provided directly through the Commission’s in-house expertise or with other providers of technical support:

experts from EU Member States' national administrations (TAIEX)
international organisations
private firms and consultancies
individual experts from the private sector

TAIEX-TSI Peer 2 Peer is an instrument managed in cooperation with the Directorate General for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) to implement part of the TSI of DG REFORM. The instrument allows experts from national administrations to exchange expertise through expert missions, study visits and workshops. The instrument is only available for projects selected under the TSI.

Reform areas covered

The TSI provides technical support to Member States in a wide range of policy areas. These include:

Green transition (including climate action, circular economy and energy transition)
Digital transition
Health and long-term care
Skills, education and training
Governance and public administration
Competitiveness
Financial sector and access to finance
Revenue administration and public financial management
Labour market, social protection and migration

Project in the spotlight

Today we are glad to present a Technical Support Instrument project aimed at accelerating the access to essential services for persons fleeing Ukraine due to Russia's unprovoked attack, including access to education for Ukrainian children.

There are currently more than 100,000 Ukrainians which have submitted a request of Temporary Protection in Romania through registration. Since July 2022, the Commission has been providing support to the Romanian Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations to accelerate access and improve the delivery of assistance services for persons fleeing Ukraine and ensure their better integration; and to Ministry of Education to speed up and improve access to education and psychosocial support services for Ukrainian children.

Accelerating access to essential services for displaced Ukrainians in Romania