Commission supports 170 new projects to help Member States translate their reform agenda

The Commission has selected a new round of 170 projects under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), to support Member States to design and implement a total of 307 reforms in 2024, which will strengthen Member States' competitiveness, resilience, and modernisation.

These reforms will cover a wide range of areas impacting citizens' lives in the EU, ranging from the application of Artificial Intelligence in businesses and public administrations, the implementation of the Green Deal Industrial Plan and other reforms instrumental to the transition to a net-zero economy, supporting gender equality and tackling brain drain, and providing mental health care services to young people and children.

Building on the reforms already implemented under the TSI in its four-year history – amounting to around 780 projects for about 1,200 reforms - the new round of reforms will provide tailor-made technical support to Member States, to help them to design and implement the reforms that they need, thus delivering on national and EU priorities on the ground.

Reinforcing the administrative capacity of Member States' public administrations

The reforms will continue to prioritise the modernisation of the Member States' public administrations, in line with the Commission's Communication on Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct), adopted at the end of 2023.

In 2024, the TSI will support civil servant exchanges as part of the Public Administration Cooperation Initiative (PACE), an initiative launched to promote peer-to-peer learning among civil servants from different Member States. These exchanges will involve 200 civil servants from 12 Member States, to enhance their skillset in key areas such as sustainable finance, digitalisation of the administration, use of EU Funds, and data literacy.

TSI helps Member States to deliver on key political priorities

The reforms supported by the TSI in 2024 will contribute to the joint political priorities of the EU and Member States: 31% of the selected reforms will focus on the transition to a net-zero economy. These reforms will primarily relate to the Green Deal Industrial Plan, biodiversity, and green transport.

The TSI will also help national, regional, and local public administrations integrate technologies and digital systems and to become more AI-savvy, with 27% of the selected reforms related to the digital transition.

For example, the TSI will help Member States to explore ways that AI can help to process data safely and effectively in the areas of social security, welfare, and employment, and how they can ensure that public administrations advance gender equality while utilising the features of AI. The TSI will also address digital financial literacy, to help Member States and citizens to adapt to the increasing use of digital channels to complete complex financial transactions, such as savings, pensions, and investments.

Another key strand of the 2024 TSI reforms is addressing and mitigating the impact of demographic change across several sectors such as health and welfare systems, migration, and public policy and budgeting.

Moreover, in 2024, children and youth will be at the centre of 31 reforms in projects across the Member States, with reforms focusing on education, and the mental health and well-being of children and young people.

Strengthening collaboration among countries and regions

The Commission will continue to support Member States in addressing common challenges together, in reducing economic, social, and territorial disparities, and in strengthening governance at all levels. TSI projects will promote peer-to-peer learning, while providing tailored support to national and regional contexts.

In 2024, the TSI will support 43 multi-country reform projects and 38 regional reform projects.

Through the broader scope of TSI Flagship projects, the Commission will also address common reform needs of Member States, from fostering skills' development systems to enhancing the quality of public finances, for example. The TSI cycle for 2024 will support 13 flagship projects.

Background

The TSI is a demand-driven EU instrument that provides tailor-made expertise to Member States' authorities who apply for support on an annual basis. It does not come in the form of financial support but consists instead of the provision of high-quality and tailored expertise and knowledge and can take the form of strategic or technical advice, studies assessing reform needs, training, or in-country missions by experts.

TSI projects are selected by the Commission on the basis of the quality of the requests and based on the selection criteria defined in Article 9 of the TSI Regulation, which includes, reviewing the urgency, breadth and depth of the challenges identified, the support  needs in respect of the policy areas concerned, and analysis of socioeconomic indicators, as well as the institutional and general administrative capacity of the requesting Member State.

From the adequate provision of healthcare services to the sound management of public finances, from the digitalisation of public services and the strengthening of the financial sector, the TSI helps Member States deliver on their reform agenda.

The TSI is part of the 2021 – 2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and builds on the success of its predecessor, the Structural Reform Support Programme. Since 2017, the two instruments have helped to implement almost 1 800 technical support projects across all Member States.

Since its establishment, this flexible instrument has quickly adapted to Member States' emerging needs, such as the response to the COVID-19 pandemic or to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

It has also been instrumental in helping Member States prepare their Recovery and Resilience Plans and Territorial Just Transition Plans, as well as implementing the priorities set out in the REPowerEU programme.