The agreement was signed in the presence of Croatian President Stjepan Mesic by HOK president Stjepan Safran and UNIZO president Rik Jaeken.
The document provides HOK with 100,000 euros from European Union pre-acession funds which the Belgian region of Flanders set up for EU accession candidates. Flanders has earmarked 500,000 euros for Croatia this year.
The agreement reads that HOK and UNIZO will advocate improving business contacts among their members. It also provides for the training of Croatian regional chambers' staff in Flanders, and was signed for a four-year period, with the possibility of extension.
"This is an opportunity to strengthen both trades and crafts and small and medium-sized enterprises, which doesn't mean that many of them won't become big enterprises," said Mesic, adding that Croatian craftsmen now had new partners for European and other markets.
HOK opened an office in Brussels five months ago.
Mesic today wrapped up his two-day visit to Flanders during which he met regional officials, visited the port of Antwerp, and addressed an international conference on the EU integration of Southeast European countries.