Brussels, 05/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - As part of Croatia's preparations for joining the EU, Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimir Špidla travelled to Zagreb on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 to review progress on employment and social affairs with, among others, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and President Stipe Mesiæ. On Monday, Mr Špidla and Croatian Health and Social Affairs Minister Neven Ljubièiæ signed a joint memorandum on tackling poverty and social exclusion. This memorandum outlines the main challenges faced by Croatia in promoting social inclusion and modernising social protection. It points out the strengths and weaknesses of existing Croatian social inclusion policies and covers areas such as lifelong learning, vocational training, decentralising social services, housing etc. (gb)