The European Commission has announced that it will be offering technical support to help 17 Member States, including Cyprus, towards the goal of phasing out their reliance on Russian fossil fuels, through its technical support instrument.

As announced, the Member States will be assisted through this offer of technical expertise to identify and implement the best policy reforms and investments in areas such as diversifying energy supplies, accelerating the transition to renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency, in line with the REPowerEU plan for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy.

The Member States will also receive technical support in mitigating price shocks in the medium term, including by accelerating the EU`s green transition, whilst taking the interregional and cross-border dimensions into account.

Member States that requested and will receive this support over the coming months are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.

In a statement, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said that the Technical Support Instrument “will provide targeted, tailor-made and timely support to each of these Member States` rapidly changing needs”.

On 21 March 2022, in the aftermath of Russia`s aggression to Ukraine, the Commission launched a dedicated call inviting Member States to express their interest in receiving technical support. All the requests submitted by the Member States have been assessed and approved by the Commission.

The expertise is provided under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), managed by the Commission.