The secretariat of each commission is provided by the departments of the ministry or ministries to which it is attached.
The secretariat draws up the commission’s rules of procedure, which set out the conditions under which it operates and the rules of procedure applicable before it.
The Commission meets when convened by its secretariat, which sets the agenda.
No later than 31 January of each year, the secretariat draws up the provisional two-year programme of the committees, which it publishes in the official bulletin of the ministry or ministries concerned.
Within six months of this publication, the national joint employment committees of professional branches may, provided they have informed the secretariat of the professional advisory committees within two months of this publication, submit proposals for the creation of all or part of a draft vocational diploma or qualification. If the certifying minister(s) decide not to accept all or part of these proposals, they will inform the professional advisory committees of the reasons for their choice.