REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Technical Support Instrument - Annual Report 2024
Date: 2025-09-08
Institutions: European Commission, Reform and Investment Task Force
Subjects: EU Member State, EU aid, EU financial instrument, activity report, capacity building, economic and social cohesion, economic recovery, migration policy, structural adjustment, twin transition

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 8.9.2025  COM(2025) 468 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Technical Support Instrument - Annual Report 2024  
 
 
Foreword  

I  am  delighted  to  present  this  report  covering  the  2024  cycle  of  the  Technical  Support 
Instrument (TSI). Beyond detailing the TSI’s activities in 2024, the report  confirms the TSI’s 
success  in  supporting  Member  States  in  improving  their  administrative  capacity  to  design, 
develop and implement reforms, as evidenced in the mid-term evaluation of the TSI mainly 
conducted in 2024. The TSI thereby contributes to sustainable growth and the green and digital 
transitions, amongst other ongoing reforms in Member States.  

Following  another  highly  competitive  selection  process,  25%  of  the  170  TSI  2024  projects 
were multi-country projects and, 48% were linked to flagship projects. This shows that in 2024, 
as it reached its midway point in the MFF, the TSI increased its focus on supporting Member 
States’ reforms tackling EU priorities through both flagship and multi-country projects. Where 
relevant, i.e. particularly in cases where Member States faced common challenges aligned with 
EU priorities, such projects enhanced the added value of the TSI’s support. 

Similarly to previous years, the TSI provided technical support to beneficiary authorities from 
all Member States and covered many policy areas. These included public administration and 
governance, the green and digital transitions and competitiveness. Several TSI 2024 projects 
also continued to support the implementation of national RRPs. 

In 2024, the TSI also launched a dedicated call to provide Member States tailor-made technical 
expertise to prepare their national implementation plans (NIPs) under the Pact on Migration 
and Asylum. Nine Member States were supported. 

DG REFORM’s continuous support to Member States in implementing TSI projects was yet again 
positively judged by Member States. Based on feedback received from both beneficiary and 
coordinating authorities, Member States highly appreciated the TSI’s support. 

As SG REFORM’s attention turns to successfully completing the RRF in 2026, I am confident 
that the TSI will keep supporting the design and implementation of Member States’ reforms in 
line with key EU policies and priorities, addressing national and transnational challenges, and 
thus having a clearly positive EU-wide impact in the years to come. 

Céline Gauer 
Director-General SG REFORM 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................................1 

The Technical Support Instrument ..............................................................................................................................3 

The TSI in 2024 ....................................................................................................................................................................4 

I.  Highlights ..................................................................................................................................................................4 

II.  The TSI 2024 cycle - facts and figures .....................................................................................................5 

Launch of the TSI 2024 cycle..............................................................................................................................5 

TSI 2024 requests for support ............................................................................................................................5 

TSI 2024 projects.......................................................................................................................................................7 

Flagship projects ........................................................................................................................................................8 

RRP support ...................................................................................................................................................................9 

Pilot for enlargement countries as observers .......................................................................................... 10 

Projects under the dedicated call in 2024 ................................................................................................. 10 

III.  Project execution ................................................................................................................................................ 10 

IV.  Cooperation and support plans ................................................................................................................... 11 

V.  Communication on the TSI ............................................................................................................................ 12 

VI.  Evaluation of the TSI ........................................................................................................................................ 13 

VII.  Interinstitutional activities ............................................................................................................................. 15 

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16 

Annex 1 – The TSI annual cycle ............................................................................................................................ 17 

Annex 2 – 2024 TSI general call: requests by Member State ............................................................. 18 

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THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT INSTRUMENT 

The Technical Support Instrument  1 (TSI) is an EU programme that provides tailor-
made technical expertise to Member States to improve their capacity to design and 
implement reforms, including via their national resilience and recovery plans (RRPs). 
Its  general  objective  is  to  promote  the  EU’s  economic,  social  and  territorial  cohesion  by 
supporting Member States’ efforts to implement the reforms necessary to achieve economic 
and social recovery, resilience and upward economic and social convergence. 

The TSI is now managed by the European Commission’s Reform and Investment Task Force 
(SG  REFORM)  2.  It  is  available  to  any  Member  State  facing  challenges  in  designing  and 
implementing reforms. This includes reforms to address challenges identified in the European 
Semester process of economic policy coordination, the EU’s policy priorities or reforms at 
a Member State’s own initiative. The TSI does not pre-allocate funds by Member State 
or policy area. 

The appropriations requested for the TSI in 2026 and its financial programming in 2027 have 
been  reduced  in  order  to  maintain  high  quality  tailor-made  support  to  the  Member  States. 
These  changes  bring  the  TSI’s  overall  budget  programming  for  the  period  2021-2027  to 
EUR 827.4 million, down from EUR 864.4 million. Member States may also request additional 
technical support via a direct contribution or as part of their RRPs. 

2021 

116.4 

2022 

118.7 

2024 

121.1 

2024 

123.5 

2025 

126.0 

2026 

109.5 

2027 

112.2 

Total 

827.4 

Figure 1 - TSI budget programming 2021-2027 (million euro) 

The  TSI  offers  beneficiary  authorities  in  Member  States  unique  project-based  access  to 
technical expertise and peer-learning opportunities to help them tackle reform challenges. It is 
an instrument driven by the demands of Member States and is organised in annual cycles 
(as described in Annex 1). TSI support covers the provision of expertise and experts related to 
policy advice, policy change, formulation of strategies and reform roadmaps, and support for 
legislative,  institutional,  structural  and  administrative  reforms.  It  also  covers  institutional, 
administrative or sectoral capacity-building; seminars, conferences and workshops; exchange 
of  best  practice  and  training  actions;  development  of  common  methodologies;  IT  capacity-
building; and carrying out studies. It does not require co-financing from Member States. 

To  strengthen  Member  States’  administrative  capacity,  each  TSI  project  provides  unique 
expertise  from  the  Commission’s  in-house  experts,  experts  in  EU  Member  State  national 
administrations (e.g. via the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument of the 
Commission, TAIEX 3), international organisations or the private sector. When needed, external 
expertise  is  contracted  via  direct  management  (mainly  the  private  sector)  or  indirect 

1 Regulation (EU) 2021/240 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 February 2021 establishing a 
Technical Support Instrument, OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 1 (the TSI Regulation). 
2 The TSI was managed by DG REFORM until it was merged with the Task Force for Recovery and Resilience on 1 
February 2025. This report uses DG REFORM when referring to events and activities which took place before the 
merge, and SG REFORM  when referring to events and activities which took  place after the merge, or are  still 
ongoing. 
3 https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/funding-technical-assistance/taiex_en 

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management4. SG REFORM staff are fully involved throughout the process of implementing 
each project. 

THE TSI IN 2024 

I.  Highlights 

In 2024, as it reached its midway point in the MFF, the TSI increased its focus on supporting 
Member States’ reforms tackling EU priorities through flagship projects. Where relevant, multi-
country projects further enhanced the added value of the support provided. 

25%  of  the  170  TSI  2024  projects  were  multi-country  projects  and,  48%  were  linked  to 
flagship projects. Both these percentages were greater than in previous cycles. This continued 
increase in the uptake of multi-country and flagship projects demonstrated the TSI’s 
capacity to bring further EU added value and to facilitate the exchange of good practice and 
mutual  learning opportunities  between national administrations,  while maintaining a strong 
focus on EU priorities. It also highlighted the TSI’s demand-driven nature. 

As  in  previous  years,  the  TSI  provided  technical  support  to  beneficiary  authorities  from  all 
Member  States  and  covered  many  policy  areas,  following  the  requests  from  national 
authorities selected under the TSI 2024 general call. These included public administration and 
governance, the green and digital transitions and competitiveness (see Figure 2). Several TSI 
2024 projects also continued to support the implementation of national RRPs 5. 

Figure 2 - TSI 2024: contribution to key policy priorities 

Following the entry into force of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the adoption of the 
Communication  on  the ‘Common  Implementation  Plan  for  the  Pact  on  Migration  and 

4 The list of entities implementing EU funds under indirect management for the TSI is provided on the TSI website. 
5 Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the 
Recovery and Resilience Facility, OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 17 (the ‘RRF Regulation’). 

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Asylum’(CIP),  DG  REFORM  launched  a  dedicated  call  under  the  TSI  on  12  June  2024.  Its 
purpose  was  to  provide  Member  States  tailor-made  technical  expertise  to  prepare 
their national implementation plans (NIPs) under the Pact on Migration and Asylum. Nine 
Member States were supported under the dedicated call. 

II.  The TSI 2024 cycle - facts and figures 

Launch of the TSI 2024 cycle 

The  TSI  2024  cycle  was  launched  during  the  TSI  annual  conference  on  ‘Public 
Administration  fit  for  the  future  and  adaptable  to  change’  on  12  May  2023.  Its 
approach  was  similar  to  that  of  previous  cycles.  13  thematic  TSI  flagship  technical 
support projects for 2024 were presented at the conference (see below). The key priorities 
included: 

• 

focusing  support  on  selected  EU  priorities,  through  the  TSI  flagship  technical  support 
projects proactively proposed by the Commission to Member States; 

•  encouraging the design and implementation of multi-country and multi-regional projects; 

and  

•  providing continuous support in implementing RRPs. 

Dialogues with Member States were subsequently organised to support the relevant national 
administrations  in  preparing  high-quality  requests  for  support,  and  to  help  with  identifying 
areas of common needs for which multi-country support would be appropriate. 

TSI 2024 requests for support 

General call 

By 31 October 2023, all 27 Member States had submitted 604 requests for technical 
support  in  response  to  the  TSI  2024  general  call,  for  a  total  amount  of  EUR 240  million 
(approximately double the available funding for the TSI in 2024)  6. The requests submitted 
covered a wide range of areas affecting the lives of people in the EU. These areas included 
applying artificial intelligence (AI) in businesses and public administrations; implementing the 
Green  Deal  Industrial  Plan  and  other  reforms  needed  to  move  to  a  net-zero  economy; 
supporting gender equality and tackling brain drain; and providing mental healthcare services 
to  young  people  and  children.  All  the  submitted  requests  were  deemed  eligible  7  and,  604 
requests were assessed for selection under the general call. 

DG REFORM assessed the submitted requests according to the assessment criteria set out in 
Article  9(5)  of  the  TSI  Regulation.  These  include  the  urgency,  breadth  and  depth  of  the 
challenges identified; the support needs in respect of the policy areas concerned; analysis of 

6 The amount of funding available for the TSI 2024 general call was EUR 123 229 347 (as indicated in the TSI 
2024 Financing Decision). 
7 The eligibility of requests is verified based on the criteria set out in the TSI Regulation, namely in Articles 8 and 
9.  The  eligibility  of  potential  beneficiaries  is  also  verified  based  on  the  criteria  set  out  in  the  TSI  Regulation, 
namely in Article 2. 

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socio-economic  indicators;  and  the  institutional  and  general  administrative  capacity  of  the 
Member States concerned. 

SG REFORM consulted other  Commission  departments / directorates-general  to  ensure  that 
the technical support provided under the TSI 2024 was in line with EU policies and to avoid 
duplicating  other  EU  actions  and  funding,  while  complementing  and  building  on  other  EU 
programmes. 

The  requests  addressed  support  needs  for  Member  States’  reforms  identified  in  different 
circumstances  set  out  in  the  TSI  Regulation  8.  These  included  reforms  to  tackle  challenges 
identified  through  the  EU’s  economic  governance  process,  as  well  as  those  linked  to 
implementing EU priorities and Member States’ own reform priorities. 

Figure 3 - TSI 2024: circumstances of Member States’ requests 

Following the assessment and selection process outlined in Annex 1, 307 requests covering 
reforms related to key EU priorities were selected under the TSI 2024 general call for a 
total  of  EUR 120  million.  Four  additional  requests  (two  submitted  under  the  TSI  2024 
general call and two submitted under the TSI 2023 general call) were later selected in 2024 
as additional funding was available. This brought the total number of requests selected under 
the TSI 2024 general call to 309, including 9: 

•  167 requests related to the implementation of national RRPs 10; 
•  85 requests related to the digital transition; 
•  96 requests related to the European Green Deal; 
•  61 requests related to equality: support for women, people with disabilities, the Roma 

community, migrants, older people and the LGBTQIA+ community; 

•  31 requests related to the public administration cooperation exchange (PACE), which is 
a  multi-country  flagship  project  aimed  at  promoting  cooperation  and  cross-border 
exchanges among Member States. 

8 A single request for technical support may be linked to multiple circumstances. 
9 A single request for technical support may contribute to several EU priorities. 
10 Based on the number of requests assessed by DG REFORM as having either a direct or an indirect link to the 
national RRPs. 

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In 2024, requests were selected for all Member States. No special measures were adopted 11. 

Dedicated call 

12

dedicated call 

DG REFORM launched a 
 under the TSI on 12 June 2024 to provide Member 
States  tailor-made  technical  expertise  to  prepare  their  NIPs  under  the  Pact  on 
Migration and Asylum. Nine requests were received from Member States in response to the 
dedicated call. All nine were selected, for a total value of EUR 1.95 million, after being assessed 
according to the TSI’s assessment criteria. 

TSI 2024 projects 

The    Financing  Decision  and  its  annual  work  programme  were  adopted  on  26 March  2024. 
They set out the measures needed to implement the TSI 2024 13. The 307 selected requests 
were streamlined into 170 projects  14, because multiple requests were in several cases 
merged into a single project to take advantage of economies of scale, promote synergies and 
facilitate peer-learning opportunities. Those 170 projects supported all 27 Member States in 
309 reform initiatives 15. 

11 Special measures may be taken under Article 12(7) of the TSI Regulation in the event of urgent needs. 
12 The dedicated call was financed under the TSI 2023 Financing Decision, given the availability of residual funds 
thereof. 
13 Commission Implementing Decision C(2024)1817 of 26 March 2024 on the financing of the Technical Support 
Instrument and the adoption of the work programme for 2024. 
14 One project for “Modernization of accounting and state budget execution processes in Croatia” was merged 
with an existing project under TSI 2023. 
15 The total number of reforms supported under TSI 2024 is higher than the total number of projects because 
multi-country projects corresponded to multiple reforms in different Member States under TSI 2024.  

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Figure 4 - TSI 2024: number of reforms supported in each Member State 

Interest from Member States in taking part in multi-country projects continued to rise in 
2024. This led to the number of such projects increasing from 34 under TSI 2023 (out of 151) 
to 43 under TSI 2024 (out of 170, with the PACE flagship project (see further) representing 
one  project,  as  under  TSI  2023).  Member  States  also  demonstrated  their  interest  in 
strengthening cooperation at regional level through 38 multi-regional projects, an increase 
on the 32 projects under TSI 2023. 

Figure 5 - TSI 2021-2024: change in the number of multi-country and PACE projects 

For example, TSI 2024 projects included multi-country projects to help Member States explore 
(i) how AI can assist in processing data safely and effectively in the areas of social security, 
welfare and employment; and (ii) how they can ensure that public administrations advance 
gender  equality  while  using  the  features  of  AI.  Other  common  reform  needs  that  received 
support ranged from fostering skills development systems to enhancing the quality of public 
finances. 

Flagship projects 

The TSI  2024 cycle showed  a stronger uptake of flagship technical support projects 
than in previous cycles. 82 of the 170 TSI 2024 projects were linked to the 13 flagship projects, 
including in the fields of the green and digital transitions, energy, public administration, public 
finances, integration of migrants and healthcare. This 48% was a significant increase on the 
33% under TSI 2023 (50 out of 151 projects) and confirmed the relevance of the 13 flagship 
projects put forward by DG REFORM to address reform needs in several Member States and 
linked to top EU priorities. 

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TSI 2024 flagships 

•  PACE – the Public Administration Cooperation Exchange 
•  AI-ready public administration 
•  Digital financial literacy 
•  Supporting the digital transformation of tax and customs administrations 
•  Enhancing the quality of public finances 
•  Support to the Green Deal Industrial Plan 
•  Support to the Social Climate Fund and the revised EU Emissions Trading System 
•  Overcoming barriers to regional development 
•  Enhancing reception and accommodation capacity for migrants 
•  Mental health: fostering well-being and mental health 
•  Flagship on skills: fostering skills development systems better adapted to the labour market 
•  Reinforce democracy and the rule of law 
•  Public administration of the future 

The  PACE  multi-country  flagship  project  aims  to  promote  cooperation  and  cross-border 
exchanges  among  Member  States  to  build  administrative  capacity  and  prepare  the  next 
generation of policymakers in the EU. It leverages TAIEX. PACE again saw significant take-up 
with  the  objective  of  implementing  70  exchanges  in  12  Member  States  16  for  200 
participants. 

RRP support 

The  TSI  continued  to  support  the  reforms  and  investments  included  in  the  RRPs 
across  the  policy  areas  of  governance  and  public  administration;  the  digital  transition; 
sustainable growth and the business environment; the labour market; health, education and 
social  services;  revenue  administration  and  public  financial  management;  and  the  financial 
sector. 

Six  TSI  2024  projects  were  directly  linked  to  national  RRPs, helping Greece,  Croatia, 
Italy, Cyprus, , Malta, Portugal and Slovakia to increase their capacity to implement their RRPs. 

FOCUS ON TSI PROJECTS WITH DIRECT LINKS TO AN RRP 

Two  examples  of  TSI  2024  projects  with  direct  links  to  RRPs  include:  1)  a  project  for 
addressing aggressive tax planning in Cyprus 17, which aligned with the policy priorities 
of the RRP and its implementation byimproving processes and building capacity in the Cyprus 
Tax Department to effectively implement transfer pricing and other anti-avoidance legislation; 
and  2)  a  project  for  strengthening  policy  costing  methodologies  and  medium-term 
budgeting practices in Portugal. The project complemented previous support to Portugal in 
the  area  of  programme  and  medium-term  budgeting  with  a  view  to  better  coordinating 

16 Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, and 
Finland. 
17 This was also a multi-country project for Malta, where however the link to the RRP was indirect. 

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ongoing  and  upcoming  public  financial  management  reforms,  and  addressing  the 
requirements related to the revised EU economic governance review. 

Pilot for enlargement countries as observers 

DG REFORM and DG NEAR continued the pilot to allow enlargement countries to be ‘observers’ 
of selected TSI projects in 2024. This was consistent with the Commission’s political priority of 
accelerating  the  integration  of,  and  accession  process  for,  enlargement  countries  18,  and 
followed positive feedback from both Member States and enlargement countries on the pilot 
launched in 2023,. This was done with the agreement of the respective beneficiary authorities 
in the Member States and the involvement of the enlargement countries (without TSI funding). 

In line with the approach followed for the first TSI pilot, the second pilot was offered to all 10 
enlargement countries in 2024. Nine enlargement countries expressed interest in participating 
and did so (all but Ukraine), following nine projects (three of which were followed by more than 
one  enlargement  country).  For  example,  Bosnia  &  Herzegovina,  Kosovo  19*  and  Moldova 
participate as observers in a TSI 2024 project with the overall objectives of enhancing regional 
access to and performance in EU initiatives and funds. 

Projects under the dedicated call in 2024 

The nine projects launched under the  dedicated call to support Member States in preparing 
their NIPs under the Pact on Migration and Asylum received hands-on support from experts 
with knowledge of the national legal frameworks and systems, as well as from international 
experts with knowledge of relevant practices in other countries. 

III.  Project execution 

DG REFORM’s experts were closely involved in all phases of the projects launched under TSI 
2024:  project  design,  project  implementation,  monitoring,  and  evaluation  of  progress  and 
achievements. 

In  the  first  stages  of  project  identification  and  design,  DG  REFORM  relied  on  essential 
collaboration with other key actors. DG REFORM developed project ideas using the demand-
driven  approach  of  the  TSI.  This  approach  involved  extensive  interaction  with  national 
authorities (through outreach and high-level meetings between REFORM’s senior management 
and representatives of national authorities) to discuss needs and intended projects’ outcomes. 
Country coordinators (DG REFORM officers who act as the main points of contact with Member 
States’ coordinating authorities) played a major role in these interactions. 

Following  the  selection  of  the  307  requests  under  TSI  2024,  DG  REFORM  decided  on  the 
methods of implementation for the corresponding 170 projects to be launched under TSI 2024 
. Policy officers (involved as project managers), defined the outputs to be produced within the 

18 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine, Georgia and 
Kosovo22*. 
19* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ 
Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. 

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projects, to ensure a significant impact on Member States’ reform initiatives. They also agreed 
the work plan and the specific activities to be implemented with national authorities.  

As  indicated  in  the  2024  work  programme  for  the  TSI  under  the  TSI  Regulation,  public 
procurement represented 26% of the TSI budget in the 2024 cycle (down from 43% in 2023 
and 2022). 

Member States’ requests for highly specialised (and at times sensitive) technical support has 
resulted  in  an  increase  in  cooperation  with  pillar  assessed  entities  (PAEs)  under 
indirect management for the TSI in recent years. Cooperation under indirect management 
accounted for 66% of the TSI 2024 cycle budget (up from 47% of the TSI 2023 cycle budget). 

Indirect management clearly became the main method of implementation of TSI projects in 
the 2024 cycle, with a year-by-year increase in the number of PAEs providing expertise for TSI 
projects.  By  way  of  example,  DG  REFORM  cooperated  extensively  with  PAEs  such  as 
international organisations (e.g. the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 
the Council of Europe, the World Bank, the United Nations); entities such as the United Nations 
International  Children's  Emergency  Fund,  the  International  Labour  Organisation,  the 
International  Organisation  for  Migration;  private  entities  with  a  public  service  mission  (e.g. 
Expertise France); and EU bodies (e.g. the European Union Agency for Railways). 

The proportion of grants within the TSI budget in the 2024 cycle decreased to 4% (down from 
7% in the 2023 cycle). 

DG REFORM was actively involved in the projects’ steering committees together with national 
authorities  representatives  to  ensure  coordination  of  action  and  alignment  with  national 
priorities. This served the purposes of (i) safeguarding the success of the projects by monitoring 
their progress; (ii) steering activities towards the specific needs of the Member States involved; 
and (iii) increasing the TSI’s visiblity. This coordination, which was driven by the policy officers, 
proved  even  more  fundamental  for  projects  that  involved  multiple  countries  with  more 
stakeholders to align. Multi-country projects were characterised by a common objective among 
the Member States involved. By being involved in this type of project, they benefitted from 
improved collaboration at EU level, as cooperation provided EU added value in meeting national 
priorities and, where applicable, in relation to national RRPs. 

Other  Commission  directorates-general  and  EU  decentralised  agencies  (e.g.  the  European 
Securities  and  Markets  Authority  and  the  European  Insurance  and  Occupational  Pensions 
Authority), were regularly involved in the TSI by providing expertise on thematic policy areas 
(as  they  had  for  previous  cycles).  The  established  network  of  representatives  from  other 
directorates-general ensured that the projects were consistent with EU policies and created 
added value, avoiding overlaps with other ongoing initiatives at EU level. 

IV.  Cooperation and support plans 

Cooperation and support plans  20 (CSPs) were signed with each Member State in 2024. 
These CSPs set out the guiding principles governing the provision of TSI support to Member 
States, the planned working methods, the circumstances of the requests, the intended scope 
of the support measures, and the indicative financing of support, in line with TSI Regulation. 

20 As referred to in Article 9(5) of the TSI Regulation. 

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The CSPs indicate the common agreement of DG REFORM and the Member States about the 
provision  of  technical  support.  They  were  launched  and  signed  after  the  annual  TSI  work 
programme was adopted. They were then forwarded, as approved by the Member States, to 
the European Parliament and the Council. 

In 2024 (as in previous years), the CSPs described the proposed mandate of the TSI national 
coordinating authorities, illustrating their role at each step of the TSI cycle.  

The  coordinating  authorities  network,  then  chaired  by  DG  REFORM,  met  five  times  in  2024 
(three  times  online  and  twice  in  person,  on  25  April  in  Brussels  and  on  10  September  in 
Budapest). 

V.  Communication on the TSI 

The  TSI  is  notable  for  its  innovative  design  and  adaptability.  It  works  with  national 
administrations to support the design and implementation of their reforms, for the benefit of 
individuals  and  businesses.  To  ensure  the  visibility  of  EU  funding,  DG  REFORM  actively 
promoted the TSI in 2024 (including its projects and outcomes), working alongside beneficiary 
authorities, support providers and the  Commission’s  representation offices in each Member 
State.  Communication  efforts  through  channels  like  press  releases,  the  Reform  Support 
website,  social  media,  publications,  and  various  events  provided  targeted  information  to 
diverse audiences, including the media and the general public. 

In 2024, communication efforts related to the TSI and reform support continued to focus on 
presenting key priorities, results, and milestones in the programme’s cycle. 

DG REFORM held the annual TSI 2024 press conference on 26 March 2024. It announced that 
the TSI 2024 work programme and financing decision had been adopted. It also highlighted 
the point that the new round of reform projects would contribute to improving public services, 
fostering  competitiveness  towards  a  net-zero  economy  and  ensuring  local  and  regional 
development. 

To launch the TSI 2025 cycle, DG REFORM organised a TSI Annual Conference on ’Reforms with 
an impact: Together we are stronger!’ on 24 and 25 April 2024. Commissioners and high-level 
speakers  from  13  EU  Member  States  discussed  how  the  EU  supports  the  Member  States’ 
reform processes and how the Commission can best keep supporting them in the future. More 
than  3 000  participants  attended  the  event,  in  Brussels  and  online,  a  record  for  the  event, 
which started in 2021. 

On  27  June  2024,  DG  REFORM  organised  a  ComPAct  High-level  conference  on  ’A  growth 
enhancing public administrative space’, focusing on how public administration across the EU 
could more efficiently respond to the public’s needs. 500 participants attended the conference 
in Brussels and online. 

DG  REFORM  also  coorganised  or  participated  in  various  public  events  locally  and  online, 
showcasing success stories and publicising TSI achievements. These included: 

• 

several panels at the Delphi Economic Forum IX Annual Meeting, 10-13 April 2024; 

•  a conference on ’Building strong local and regional capacity with EU technical support‘, 

10 October 2024; 

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•  a social media campaign as part of COP16, in Cali, Colombia, 21 October - 1 November 

2024. 

In 2024, TSI communication continued to transition away from the project-oriented approach 
adopted in the initial years of the TSI towards emphasising reforms and their broader impact. 
In  particular,  DG  REFORM  marked  the  end  of  the  Commission’s  mandate  and  the  five  year 
anniversary  of  the  TSI  by  publishing  a  brochure  ’Delivering  on  reforms‘  on  8  July  2024.  It 
highlights the key reform achievements of the instrument from 2020 to 2024. 

The Reform Support website has a user-friendly interface and provides information on reforms 
structured by policy areas and by Member State. Over 190 000 unique visitors accessed it in 
2024. By the end of December 2024, over 550 TSI project descriptions were available online 
and easily searchable via the TSI interactive map. 

In line with the transparency requirement set out in Article 17 of the TSI Regulation, the Reform 
Support website is also a single online repository of final studies or reports produced through 
TSI projects. This repository is searchable by year, topic, and Member State, enabling broad 
dissemination of these documents. By December 2024, 49% of completed TSI projects had 
their final studies or reports available online. 

DG REFORM remained active on social media, with over 3 900 followers on its @EU_reforms 
X  (formerly  Twitter)  account.  DG  REFORM’s  increasing  internal  video  production  capacity 
enabled it to update its  YouTube channel with new and original content.  Eight videos were 
produced in 2024 on topics such as protecting biodiversity, green policies, the TSI’s support in 
reforming emergency services, and the digital transition. 

EU-wide  communication  campaigns  and  reports  (such  as  the  2024  EU  General  Report) 
frequently highlight the TSI's role in assisting Member States in meeting their reform goals in 
line with EU objectives.  

VI.  Evaluation of the TSI 

SG  REFORM  (and  previously  DG  REFORM)  continuously  assesses  the  technical  support  it 
provides to Member States through the TSI, at both overall programme and individual project 
levels, to obtain evidence of the programme’s achievements.  

At  overall  programme  level,  the  mid-term  evaluation  of  the  TSI  21  adopted  by  the 
Commission on 12 May 2025 analysed the early implementation of the TSI according to the 
five  mandatory  better  regulation  evaluation  criteria  (effectiveness,  efficiency,  relevance, 
coherence and EU added value), in line with Article 16 of the TSI Regulation. The scope of this 
mid-term evaluation covered all projects funded under the 2021, 2022 and 2023 TSI cycles, 
in all 27 EU Member States. This amounts to a total of 611 technical support projects, for a 
total budget of EUR 359 million. The fact that only around half of the projects from the 2021-
2023 cycles had been closed by the time of the evaluation limited its ability to analyse the 
long-term  results  of  the  TSI  and  its  contribution  to  adopting  and  implementing  reforms  in 
Member States. The evaluation also demonstrated certain limitations in the design of the TSI 

21  Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Mid-term evaluation of the Technical Support Instrument (2021-
2027), COM/2025/198 final: EUR-Lex - 52025DC0198 - EN - EUR-Lex. 

13 

 
 
 
Regulation that affect the tracking of the TSI’s outcomes. In particular, it noted, (i) the absence 
of direct references to specific reform achievements in the formulation of TSI objectives; and 
(ii) the lack of specific reporting obligations for Member States on the status of the supported 
reforms. 

To provide robust and independent input to the mid-term evaluation of the TSI, an external 
supporting study was contracted on 21 December 2023 and finalised on 1 December 2024. 
In  addition,  DG  REFORM  conducted  a  specific  open  public  consultation  on  the  TSI  that  ran 
between 18 March and 10 June 2024 on the ’Have your say’ portal. According to the mid-term 
evaluation of the TSI published on 12 May 2025 22, the TSI was found to be a highly relevant 
instrument  that  is  well  tailored  to  Member  States’  needs,  mainly  due  to  the  design  of  the 
instrument  and  its  demand-driven  nature.  Multi-country  projects  are  seen  as  a  vehicle  for 
tackling broader cross-EU challenges while increasing collaboration and the sharing of good 
practice between participating countries. The number of such projects has increased cycle by 
cycle.  The  TSI  projects  have  substantially  contributed  to  implementing  EU  policies  and 
priorities, and supporting the twin digital and green transitions. TSI flagship projects add value 
by aligning with EU priorities, driving regulatory compliance and promoting the application of 
EU law. 

The evaluation confirmed that the TSI is successfully achieving its specific objective, which is 
to improve all types of administrative capacity of Member States across the EU, especially the 
internal administrative mechanisms that are the basis for reforms. It also highlighted the point 
that the success of technical support and the achievement of long-term sustainable results 
depend on Member States consistently and systematically following up on technical support 
projects. The evaluation demonstrated that continued ownership by national authorities had 
been a crucial factor in ensuring follow-up actions and use of the outputs delivered by technical 
support projects. The evaluation found that this follow-up also depends on additional national 
factors,  such  as  the  availability  of  financial  resources,  staff  stability,  and  political  and 
administrative continuity. 

Based  on  the  findings  and  lessons  learned  from  this  evaluation,  SG  REFORM  has  been 
reflecting and working on a new evaluation strategy to reinforce the monitoring and evaluation 
of the technical support under the TSI and to better track the long-term results achieved after 
a TSI project’s closure. 

At individual project level, DG REFORM put in place a two-step ‘feedback mechanism’ to 
monitor and assess individual TSI projects. The first step, shortly after project closure, assesses 
the level of satisfaction of the main stakeholders involved in the project design and delivery. 
The  second  step,  at  least  one  year  after  project  closure,  assesses  the  extent  to  which  the 
project has delivered its expected outcomes.  

During 2024, DG REFORM sent 181 satisfaction questionnaires to beneficiary authorities.  It 
received completed satisfaction questionnaires for 111 TSI projects  (a 61% response rate). 
The feedback from beneficiary authorities indicated an average satisfaction rating of 9.3 out 
of 10 for the support provided by DG REFORM and 8.8 out of 10 for the success of the projects. 
These ratings were both very positive. The average satisfaction of beneficiary authorities with 

22  Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Mid-term evaluation of the Technical Support Instrument (2021-
2027), COM/2025/198 final: EUR-Lex - 52025DC0198 - EN - EUR-Lex. 

14 

 
 
 
their project provider (i.e. the entity providing the expertise under the TSI project) was 84%, 
also a positive indication. Efforts were undertaken, and continue within SG REFORM, to increase 
response rates so as to better track the long-term results achieved after a TSI project’s closure. 

VII. 

Interinstitutional activities 

At interinstitutional level, the then Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, met 
with the Budgets Committee and the Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs at the 
European  Parliament  on  21  October  2024  for  an  exchange  of  views  on  implementing  the 
instrument, in accordance with Article 15(3) of the TSI Regulation. This followed an information 
session  organised  by  DG  REFORM  at  the  European  Parliament  for  the  secretariats  of  the 
Budgets Committee and the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on 18 October 2024. 

In relation to the Council, at the invitation of the Presidency of the Council, the 2023 TSI Annual 
report  was  presented  to  the  Council’s  Working  Party  of  Financial  Counsellors  (FICO)  on  21 
October  2024,  as  well  as  to  the  Working  Party  on  Competitiveness  and  Growth  (Internal 
Market) on 5 December 2024. TSI projects and activities were also covered in several other 
presentations to the Council throughout 2024. 

15 

 
 
 
CONCLUSION 

In 2024, as it reached its midway point in the MFF, the TSI increased its focus on supporting 
Member States’ reforms tackling EU priorities through flagship projects and, where relevant, 
through multi-country projects, in order to maximise the added value of the support provided. 

604 high-quality requests for support were received from Member States under the TSI 2024 
general call, once again exceeding the programme’s capacity. Following a rigorous assessment 
and selection process, 307 requests were selected – alongside two further requests 
selected later - for an amount of EUR 120 million, leading to the design of 170 projects 
to support 309 reform initiatives in all Member States. Nine Member States were later also 
supported through a TSI dedicated call in preparing their NIPs under the Pact on Migration and 
Asylum. 

Multi country projects accounted for 25% of the TSI 2024 projects, while 48% were linked to 
flagship projects. The continued increase in multi-country projects demonstrated the TSI’s 
capacity to bring further EU added value and to facilitate the exchange of good practice and 
mutual  learning  opportunities  between  national  administrations.  Similarly,  the  stronger 
uptake of proposed TSI flagships compared with previous cycles confirmed this approach 
and  ensured  a  strong  focus  on  EU  priorities  under  TSI  2024,  while  maintaining  the  TSI’s 
demand-driven nature. 

DG REFORM’s continuous  support to  Member  States  in implementing TSI projects, including 
those from previous cycles (owing to the multi-year duration of many TSI projects), ensured 
that their outputs remained in line with Member States’ objectives and was yet again positively 
judged by Member States. Based on feedback received from beneficiary authorities at project 
level and from coordinating authorities at national level, Member States highly appreciated 
the  support  provided  through  the  TSI.  The  active  role  they  can  play  in  designing  and 
implementing projects and DG REFORM’s effective communication were positively noted 
by  Member  States.  The  wide  range  of  policy  areas  covered  by  the  instrument,  in  line  with 
requests by national authorities, continued to suit Member States. 

The mid-term evaluation of the TSI, which was performed mainly in 2024 and published on 
12 May 2025, found that the instrument was highly relevant and well tailored to Member 
States’  needs.  It  also  found  that  it  had  successfully  contributed  to  achieving  its  specific 
objective, which is to improve all types of administrative capacity of Member States across the 
EU, especially the internal administrative mechanisms which are the basis for reforms. It also 
highlighted the point that the success of technical support and the achievement of long-term 
sustainable results depend on Member States consistently and systematically following up on 
TSI projects. In this regard, continued ownership by national authorities  was shown to be  a 
crucial factor in ensuring that these authorities took follow-up actions and used the outputs 
delivered by the technical support projects. The evaluation found that such follow-up actions 
also depend on additional national factors, such as the availability of financial resources, staff 
stability, and political and administrative continuity. 

16 

 
 
 
 
Annex 1 – The TSI annual cycle 

17 

                       End of project + 3 months DG REFORM launches the satisfaction questionnaire to collect feedback from DG REFORM colleagues, beneficiary authorities and providers on the project implementation. End of project - 12 months later DG REFORM follows up with Beneficiary Authorities in Member States to ensure that expected outcomes are achieved and after about 12 months submits to them a formal feedback survey. March June Year N SG REFORM designs the TSI projects and defines the project planned activities, outputs, and outcomes in collaboration with the beneficiary authorities in the Member States. SG REFORM selects the best available expertise to help the team bring tailored support to the Member States. PROJECT EVALUATION SUBMISSION AND SELECTION               PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PREPARATION AND OUTREACH May Year N-1 The TSI Annual Conference officially launches the next TSI cycle and presents the programme priorities and innovations to the Member States. March-April Year N-1 SG REFORM defines proposed Flagships for the next TSI cycle, in consultation with Member States and other Commission services, where appropriate. June Year N – September Year N+2 DG REFORM designs the TSI projects and defines the project planned activities, outputs, and outcomes in collaboration with the beneficiary authorities in the Member States. DG REFORM selects the best available expertise to help the team bring tailored support to the Member States. During the TSI project implementation, DG REFORM works in close cooperation with the beneficiary authorities and the providers of technical expertise. September–October Year N-1 SG REFORM and Member States discuss ideas for potential TSI technical support requests. 31 October Year N-1 The EU Member States wishing to receive technical support submit their requests to the Commission via their national coordinating authority by 31 October. Ownership and engagement are key to the success of reforms.  November-December Year N-1 SG REFORM analyses the requests received along the principles of equal treatment, sound financial management and transparency. The assessment phase also includes the consultation of other Commission services to confirm the absence of overlap and to ensure complementarity with ongoing support policies.  December–March Year N SG REFORM preselects the technical support projects to be financed and launches the internal decision-making process. The Commission approves the TSI work programme and financing decision for the selected requests. May-June Year N The TSI Cooperation and Support Plans are agreed yearly by the Commission and the Member State concerned and set out the agreed priority areas and scope of support, objectives, indicative timeline, and financial envelope. June Year N onwards During the TSI project implementation, SG REFORM works in close cooperation with the beneficiary authorities and the providers of technical expertise. End of project - 12 months later SG REFORM follows up with Beneficiary Authorities in Member States to ensure that expected outcomes are achieved and after about 12 months submits to them a formal feedback survey.  End of project + 3 months SG REFORM launches the satisfaction questionnaire to collect feedback from SG REFORM staff, beneficiary authorities and providers on the project implementation.   
 
 
Annex 2 – 2024 TSI general call: requests by Member State 23 

Country 
Austria 
Belgium 
Bulgaria 
Croatia 
Cyprus 
Czechia 
Denmark 
Estonia 
Finland 
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Hungary 
Ireland 
Italy 
Latvia 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Malta 
Netherlands 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Slovakia 
Slovenia 
Spain 
Sweden 
Total 

Submitted  Not selected 

12 
22 
30 
30 
27 
20 
5 
15 
11 
18 
34 
40 
13 
17 
39 
18 
16 
4 
17 
14 
34 
44 
45 
27 
17 
27 
8 
604 

5 
10 
19 
17 
15 
11 
1 
4 
2 
8 
10 
17 
7 
7 
23 
8 
3 
1 
6 
5 
17 
28 
28 
17 
7 
14 
5 
295 

Selected 
7 
12 
11 
13 
12 
9 
4 
11 
9 
10 
24 
23 
6 
10 
16 
10 
13 
3 
11 
9 
17 
16 
17 
10 
10 
13 
3 
309 

23 Including two requests from late selection 

18