Article 24Responsible authority
1.The responsible authority shall meet the following minimum conditions. It shall:
(a)have legal personality, except where it is a functional body of the Member State;
(b)have the infrastructure required for easy communication with a wide range of users and with the responsible bodies in the other Member States and the Commission;
(c)work in an administrative context allowing it to carry out its tasks correctly and avoiding any conflict of interest;
(d)be in a position to apply Community fund management rules;
(e)have financial and management capacities proportionate to the volume of Community funds which it will be called upon to manage;
(f)have at its disposal personnel with appropriate professional qualifications and language skills for administrative work in an international environment.
2.The Member State shall provide the responsible authority with adequate funding so that it can continue to carry out its tasks properly and uninterruptedly throughout the period 2007 to 2013.
3.The Commission may assist the Member States in the training of staff, in particular as regards the correct application of Chapters V to IX.