French Ambassador to Croatia Francois St. Paul said the meeting was taking place at an important moment because Croatia's European Union entry negotiations had just been opened. He added that about half a million French tourists visited Croatia this year.
The ambassador said the two countries shared most of the difficulties in local communities and that France's experience would benefit further cooperation.
Croatian Ambassador to France Bozidar Gagro said Croatia-France relations were now very good but that they had not been always such.
The two-day meeting will address the development of local self-government, decentralisation of authority and economic development.
The event was organised by the city of Rijeka, the Alliance of Towns and Municipalities of Croatia, the United Towns France alliance, and the French Embassy to Croatia.