European Union pre-accession fund IPA has provided 20 million kunas (2.7 million Euros) for the financing of projects that would help prepare Croatia’s young for the job market.

A quarter of Croatia’s 330,000 registered unemployed are younger than 34 years of age and the grants are intended for 23 projects that would better prepare new workers for the demands of the job market.

EU has destined 86 million Euros between 2007 and 2011 for the human resource development in Croatia.

Minister of Economy Djuro Popijac said that after Croatia’s EU accession there will be other opportunities for the country to participate in structural and cohesion funds, with more money available for human resource development.