matters to be discussed by the board of governors first make their way through a range of preparatory committees, the most important of which are the joint teaching committee and the budgetary committee. the joint teaching committee gathers inspectors and directors, together with representatives of teachers, parents and pupils and a representative of the european commission and the european patent office. it examines proposals concerning the organisation and curricula of the schools. the budgetary committee, likewise, gathers finance officials from the eu member states, together with representatives of the european commission and european patent office to examine the financial implications of educational proposals and the budgets of individual schools and of the general secretariat in brussels.