We are pleased to announce that Professor Donal O'Neill, a labour Economist in the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting Maynooth University, has been appointed to serve on the European Commission Structural Reform Support Service External Panel of Experts supporting the implementation of structural reforms in Member States.
A sound regulatory and institutional environment is essential for improving competitiveness, encouraging investment, fostering employment creation, raising living standards and producing sustainable growth across the EU. Against this background, the EU has identified the implementation of structural reforms as a policy priority to set recovery on a sustainable path, unlock growth potential, raise living standards and support the process of convergence in the EU. To help EU Member States effectively design and implement such reforms, the Commission set up the Structural Reform Support Service in 2015.
The SRSS provides and coordinates specialised technical support to a Ministry or an Agency of a Member State with a view to helping the Ministry or Agency with the design and implementation of structural reforms.
In carrying out its work the SRSS will use the support of the Expert Panel to provide the technical support to beneficiaries in EU Member States.
Such advice can focus on different stages of the reform process: Policy design; Strategy development and policy implementation; Organisation, governance and management; Optimisation of processes and structures; Establishment of human resources plans for the mobility and redeployment of personnel; Change management including communication to stakeholders; and Training and building the capacity of local teams.
Professor O'Neill will serve in the areas of labour markets and social cohesion, the welfare system, education and training. His appointment will run from January 2019- January 2022.