Zagreb, (IKA) – The Zagreb Archdiocese and the Government of the Republic of Croatia have signed an agreement on the cofinancing of the Catholic University. The agreement was signed today, November 2, by the archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, and the prime minister of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Ivo Sanader. The government will cofinance a program of studies for 40 students per year. In the first year of operations, it will allocate 5 million kunas, and the remainder will be financed by the archdiocese, which will also allocate 100 million kunas for the adaptation of two buildings. A prerequisite for everything is a work permit that the archdiocese must obtain from the National Council for Higher Education. On the occasion of the signing of the agreement, Prime Minister Sanader said that he considers the founding of the Catholic University to be an enrichment of the university scene. Cardinal Bozanić pointed out that the Catholic Church in Croatia has always been present in the area of education and wants to remain faithful to its tradition, with the goal of raising the quality of education. The cardinal did not wish to forecast when the first students would be sitting at their desks in the new university. However, Prime Minister Sanader expressed the hope that the university would be in operation during the next academic year.