The event, titled “From Reform to Results: Evidence on Impactful Tax Administration Reform”, gathered directors general and senior officials from tax administrations in the Western Balkans, Bulgaria, Italy, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, and Greece to exchange practical lessons on translating tax reform into measurable and sustainable outcomes.

Opening the event, Greek Minister for the National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis emphasized that successful reform depends on strong country ownership, persistence, and steady incremental progress, supported by digitalization and sustained investment in people.

Discussions throughout the event focused on how to design, sequence, and assess tax administration reforms, including governance, organizational development, digitalization, data use, and impact measurement. Participants explored how reforms can achieve sustainable improvements in compliance, revenue performance, and institutional capacity.

The CEF Deputy Director Ivana Nedižavec Korada and Strategic Officer Robert Bauchmüller contributed to the event by opening a strategic dialogue on what success in tax reform means and how reform impact can be measured and sustained over time. The discussion emphasized that the impact of tax reforms should be viewed beyond traditional revenue performance indicators and should also take into account how reforms strengthen trust in the tax system and support the financing of public goods.

Participants highlighted that modern tax administrations are increasingly moving away from purely enforcement-based approaches toward more proactive and outcome-oriented partnerships with taxpayers, often referred to as “Tax Administration 3.0.” In this context, successful reforms are also reflected in reduced administrative burdens and greater legal certainty for citizens and businesses.

Participants agreed that meaningful impact measurement requires robust data collection, carefully designed key performance indicators, and evidence-based evaluation from the earliest stages of reform implementation. At the same time, changes in taxpayer behavior need to be considered when evaluating reform outcomes. The discussions also explored how advanced analytics, administrative data, and artificial intelligence can increasingly support more rigorous evaluation methods and help identify causal effects of reforms. 

The event also highlighted the importance of collaboration among tax administrations, international organizations, and academia in designing, implementing, and assessing tax reforms. Participants stressed that although reform contexts differ across countries, many of the underlying challenges and objectives are shared, making international cooperation and peer learning essential for achieving meaningful and sustainable outcomes.