Legal provision for the establishment and operation of the JTS:

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 718/2007 of 12 June 2007 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 establishing an instrument for pre-accession assistance (IPA)
Article 102 - Designation of authorities

The Managing Authority establishes a Joint Technical Secretariat. It is placed in Kjustendil, Republic of Bulgaria. JTS has a Branch office in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia placed in Strumica. The JTS (including its Branch office as part of the same body) consists of equal number experts of each participating in the programme country contracted by the MA.

JTS assists the Managing Authority and the Joint Monitoring Committee of the Programme and assists where appropriate the Certifying Authority and Audit Authority in carrying out their respective duties. The JTS also takes part in preparation and implementation of the decisions of Joint Monitoring Committee and carries out usual duties of a secretariat. The JTS is in particular responsible for the following joint tasks:

• Participation in planning and organisation of programme information campaigns and other activities related to raising public awareness on the programme;
• Establishing and managing a joint projects data base and project partners data base;
• supporting projects generation and development,
• making available of standardised forms for project application, assessment, contracting, implementation, monitoring and reporting in cooperation with the MA;
• prepare and launch of Calls for proposals;
• advising beneficiaries on the implementation of operations and financial administration;
• receiving and registering of applications submitted;
• performing a formal check of project applications in terms of administrative compliance and eligibility;
• presenting a work plan via the Managing Authority to the Joint Monitoring Committee once a year for approval;
• organising all meetings and events, draft the minutes, prepare, ensures the administrative management of tasks and services;
• organising the work of the assessors and submitting the results of the project technical evaluation sessions to the JMC;
• monitoring of project implementation, collecting of information from the lead beneficiaries and updating data in the Management Information System;
• administrating the work of the controllers and providing cross-check of the certified activities according to the "four eyes principle";
• collecting and checking project reports from the lead partners before submitting to the MA;
• assisting the MA in preparation of the reports on programme implementation;
• receiving requests from the lead beneficiaries on any modifications as well as preparation of addendums to projects and submitting them to MA or JMC respectively for approval;
• cooperation with the programme implementing authorities in Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and with other territorial cooperation programmes;
• collaboration with central, regional and local stakeholders involved in the Programme.

The annual work plans of the Joint Technical Secretariat have to be approved by the Joint Monitoring Committee. The Joint Technical Secretariat will be funded from the Technical Assistance budget.

The staff of the Joint Technical Secretariat will be employed on the basis of a contract with the Managing Authority.

The Joint Technical Secretariat shall have international staff from the partner states. The number and qualification of staff shall correspond to the tasks defined above.