| Abbreviation: | DG REFORM |
| Leader Title: | European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms |
| Leader Name: | Elisa Ferreira |
| Website: | https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu |
The Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) is the European Union body assisting European Member States in the implementation of technical and structural reforms.[1] [2] [3] The Directorate-General succeeds the Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS) as of 1 January 2020 and coordinates the European Commission's work on designing and implementing national reforms and to coordinate and provide technical support to Member States through the Technical Support Instrument.[4]
The SRSS was created in June 2015 as a replacement for multiple different temporary Task Forces, each established on an basis; instead, the EU's structural reform expertise would be centralised in a single organisational unit. It was initially headed by Maarten Verwey,[5] who, as its Director-General, oversaw the Service's operations regarding the implementation of the Third Economic Adjustment Programme for Greece.[6] [7] Verwey's powers were described as "unprecedented", and his suitability for the position was questioned.[8]
In December 2015, shortly after the SRSS' creation, Cyprus' government announced that they would cease cooperation with the World Health Organization towards a goal of a National Health Service, instead choosing to work exclusively with the SRSS.[9]
In 2018, the Irish government sought out assistance from the SRSS with regard to university funding. Ministers from the government described the SRSS as offering a "comprehensive examination".[10]
During the same year, the SRSS, jointly with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, released a report on economic development in Estonia. Focusing particularly on the financial technology industry, the report found "good conditions" for development of capital markets in the country.[11]
Between 2018 and 2020, the Service conducted a review of methods to tackle violence and bullying among minors in Slovenia.[12] Separately, it was also assigned the task of reforming bankruptcy procedures in Bulgaria, with a view to complying with requirements for entry into the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. The Bulgarian project deadline was June 2019.[13]
In 2019, the SRSS funded a research project in Croatia investigating alternatives to the Standard Cost Model, a framework for measuring and quantifying administrative and regulatory burdens imposed on the private sector.[14]