The Technical Support Instrument (TSI) is the EU programme that provides tailor-made technical expertise to EU Member States to design and to implement reforms at the national level, with an emphasis on the green and digital transitions. The TSI also supports the preparation and implementation of Recovery and Resilience Plans.
Initiated in 2021, the TSI is the successor of the Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP). Since 2017, both programmes have helped design, develop and implement over 1800 reform projects in 27 Member States.
COMPLETED AND ONGOING REFORM PROJECTS IN IRELAND
Reform projects approved under the Technical Support Instrument
The Technical Support Instrument yearly cycle is launched during the dedicated TSI Annual Conference. In May 2023, High-Level representatives from the European Commission, Member States and other Institutions gathered to share their perspectives on how the TSI 2024 could support Member States for the successful design and implementation of resilience-enhancing reforms, and in particular Public Administrations to be fit for the future and adaptable to change.
The conference also started the discussion with Member States on potential multi-country projects - geared at addressing common issues among Member States thereby emphasizing the EU added-value of the instrument - and presented a set of "Flagship" projects - supporting reforms which are largely needed across Member States and are in line with the EU priorities.
For 2024, the Commission approved the following 10 reform support projects for Ireland:
- Data Labelling Platform- Implementation feasibility study of data centric AI
- Embedding Trauma Informed Practice in Accommodation for International Protection Applicants
- Responsible Business Compass
- Strategic Workforce Planning for Teachers
- Strengthening tax compliance in the platform economy in Ireland through introduction of eWithholding Taxes
Multi-country projects:
- Enhancing access to justice through the application of a PCJ approach
- Enhancing the Centre of Government’s capacities to steer complex priorities and manage crisis and megatrends through peer to peer review and learning
- Technical support for building an effective National Preventive Mechanism under OPCAT: promoting cross-jurisdictional knowledge exchange and peer learning in the criminal justice field Implementing Partner: The Council of Europe
- Enhancing the quality and use of tax information exchanged between Member States in the context of the Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC) in Ireland
- The development of a best practice framework in adoption and roadmapping reform of Ireland’s adoption system
For 2023, the Commission approved the following 10 reform support projects for Ireland:
- Towards person-centered integrated care in Ireland
- General technical support for the implementation, amendment and revision of the Recovery and Resilience Plans
- Enhanced FinTech Authorisation Process
- Accelerating permitting for renewable energy
Multi-country projects:
- Renovation Wave - Advancing retrofitting in multi-apartment buildings
- Building Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) across national and local government in Ireland
- ESG risk management framework for the financial sector
- Support for the development of a model of inclusion for the Irish school system
- Measuring Citizen’s Satisfaction with Key Government Services for Better Performance and Enhanced Trust
- RISKS Resilience: Integration of Strategic risk Systems
In 2022, the Commission approved 9 reform projects for Ireland:
- Development of resilient, innovative and human-centric digital government services
- Barnahus Ireland
- The move to a plan-led regime for the development of offshore renewable energy
- Support to the Renovation Wave
- Towards a new governance framework for children and youth policies in Ireland
- Assistance with the transition to forward-looking risk-based supervision of IORPs in Ireland following the adoption of the IORP II Directive (2003/41/EC)
Multi-country projects:
- EU Supervisory Digital Finance Academy - Central Bank of Ireland
- Gender mainstreaming in public policy and budget processes
- Support to REPowerEU
More information can be found in the 2022 Country Factsheets.
In 2021, the Commission approved the following 10 reform projects for Ireland:
- Reform of marine management
- Health Workforce Planning in Ireland
- Alignment of current budgetary expenditure with policy objectives
- Strengthening policy development and foresight in the Irish Civil Service
- Post-Covid-19 Review of the Organisational Structures and Design of the Irish Civil Service (Phase Two)
- Strengthening environmental considerations in public investment management
- Data Ethics within Insurance
- Regulatory conformity and competitiveness of Irish agro-food
- Developing a Digital Transformation Strategy for the Office of the Revenue Commissioners
- General technical support for the implementation of Ireland's Recovery and Resilience Plan
More information can be found in the 2021 Country Factsheets.
Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP) projects (2017-2020)
The TSI expands on the experience of the SRSP programme in building capacity in Member States. You can find the full list of SRSP projects here.
Highlighted projects
The European Commission has provided analytical reports and capacity building workshops to Ireland’s implementing body for the NRRP, as well as to the project leads (Accountable departments and agencies) running individual projects, and the independent audit body (IAB) within DPER, to help enhance their monitoring, control, audit and reporting functions.
The Commission helped to made a comparative review of the current state of policy, institutions and regulations, including a gap analysis of the Irish agro-food sector and the elaboration of a programme governance plan, a change management plan and a digitalisation plan to boost the effective implementation of a current medium term set of objectives defined in the Food Safety and Food Authenticity Programme.
The European Commission supported the Central Bank of Ireland in strengthening its understanding of the emerging data and related technology risks in the insurance sector in an increasingly digital world.