Singapore and France are working on a reciprocal green lane for short-term business and official trips.

The framework for the arrangement has been agreed between French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester and Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Transport Chee Hong Tat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday.

Mr Riester is in Singapore for a three-day visit from Sunday to today to strengthen bilateral ties.

He also witnessed, together with Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor, the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to step up bilateral cooperation to improve food safety standards in both countries.

The MOU aims to enhance scientific and technical partnership in food safety testing and research, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

Signed by SFA chief executive officer Lim Kok Thai and French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety director-general Roger Genet, the MOU affirmed the commitment by Singapore and France to consumer health by strengthening the exchange of knowledge, research cooperation, and expert assessments.

Potential areas of collaboration will include risk assessment of chemical and microbiological food safety hazards, safety assessments of novel foods, and emerging food safety risks.