The ministerial conference, organised by the Council of Europe, pooled representatives of Croatia and other beneficiaries of the CARDS programme - Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro - and representatives of the European Commission and the Council of Europe.
Croatian Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship Minister Branko Vukelic said Croatia had signed social insurance agreements with 24 European countries, adding that of the countries in the region Croatia had not signed such an agreement only with Bulgaria, Romania and Albania.
The head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Croatia, Vincent Degert, said the EU member states had freedom in creating their social programmes as long as they stick to the principle of equal opportunities, namely as long as there was no discrimination.