The cooperation is expected to assist Croatia in adopting European standards governing the labour market and accelerate the adoption of relevant provisions of the acquis communautaire, State Secretary for Labour Vera Babic said.
Louis Tribot of the French Ministry of Employment announced that the first verification of the effectiveness of cooperation would take place at the beginning of 2006, when further activities would also be defined.
The French Ambassador to Croatia, Francois Saint-Paul, said that the signing of the programme of cooperation was proof of France's support for Croatia's EU membership bid.
The cooperation between the two ministries is expected to help Croatia in adopting the provisions of the EU acquis communautaire relating to safety at work, developing methods and instruments certifying professional competence, and improving vocational training to meet the needs of employers and the labour market.
The programme provides for reciprocal visits and study tours of Croatian and French experts and exchanges of knowledge in relevant fields.