According Art. 2 (6) of EC Regulation 1083/2006, the Intermediate Body is any body or public or private service which acts under the responsibility of a managing or certifying authority or which carries out duties on behalf of such an authority vis-à-vis beneficiaries implementing    interventions.

According to Art. 42 of EC Regulation 1083/2006, the Managing Authority may entrust the management and implementation of a part of an operational program to one or more intermediate bodies. The Intermediate Body ensure the implementation of one or more  interventions in accordance with the provisions of an agreement concluded between the Managing Authority and that body. The Intermediate Body must provide guarantees for its solvency and competence in administrative and financial management. It must normally be established or represented in the region or regions covered by the operational program at the moment of its designation.

Decision of the Council of Ministers № 312/2002 for the adoption of the Strategy for participation of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Structural funds and the Cohesion Fund of the European Union and Chapter 21 "Regional Policy and coordination of structural instruments" (CONF-BG 56/01) and the Common Position of EU (CONF-BG 80/01) and Ordinance of the Council of Ministers N965/16.12.2005, the Bulgarian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Promotion Agency is determined as  an Intermediate Body of Operational Program "Development of the Competitiveness of the Bulgarian Economy" for Priority Axis 1 and Priority Axis 2.