The secretary-general heads the Secretariat of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). About seven hundred EESC officials work in the EESC Secretariat. Some 350 of those work in the 'joint services', a special shared service established together with the Committee of the Regions. The chief role of the EESC's secretary-general is to implement decisions taken by the Plenary Assembly, the bureau and the president. The secretary-general is also responsible for managing the administration and the budget.