Legal provision for the establishment and operation of the JMC:

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 87 - Partnership
Article 102 - Designation of authorities
Article 110 - Joint monitoring committee

The Joint Monitoring Committee is being set up within three months from the approval of the programme and consists of representatives appointed by the two participating countries according to the partnership principle. The JMC meets minimum twice a year at the initiative of the participating countries or of the Commission and it is co-chaired by the Managing Authority (Bulgaria) and the National Authority (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Representative/s of the European Commission or other relevant bodies participate in the work of the JMC in an advisory capacity.

The JMC is responsible for the following tasks:

• considers and approves the criteria for selecting the operations financed by the cross-border programme and approves any revision of those criteria in accordance with programming needs;
• periodically reviews progress made towards achieving the specific targets of the cross-border programme on the basis of documents submitted by the managing authority;
• examines the results of implementation, particularly achievement of the targets set for each priority axis and the evaluations referred to in Article 57(4) and Article 109;
• considers and approves the annual and final reports on implementation referred to in Article 112;
• be informed of the annual control report, referred to in Article 105 (1)(c) and of any relevant comments the Commission may have after examining those reports;
• it shall be responsible for selecting operations;
• considers and approves any proposal to amend the content of the cross-border programme or to improve its management.
• carries out monitoring of the programme by reference to financial indicators, as well as the output and result indicators;
• approves Terms of Reference and procedure for selection of the controllers and assessors and approves a list of selected controllers/assessors;
• approves any addendums to the contracts with lead beneficiaries that are related to change in budget or duration of the project;
• approves all internal documents concerning the programme implementation between the two countries;

All operations will be selected through single calls for proposals covering the whole eligible area. Joint operations outside calls for proposals may be also identified any time after the adoption of the programme in a decision taken by the Joint Monitoring Committee.

Details on composition, chairmanship and decision making in the Joint Monitoring Committee will be determined by the Rules of Procedure of the JMC, drawn up in agreement with the Managing Authority and adopted on the first JMC meeting. Decisions will be taken by consensus.