Established in December 1993, the bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands are traditionally close, based on the Dutch continuous political and development support for the transition process in Macedonia, growing trade and investment relationship, as well as vibrant cultural exchanges.    

The trade between the countries has experienced significant improvement in recent years, marking a 45% increase in the period from 2005 to 2008. Although slightly disturbed by the passing economic crises, the level of economic cooperation is still far from reaching its ceiling.        

The Kingdom of Netherlands remains the single biggest bilateral EU donor to the Republic of Macedonia, which is also a constituency of the Dutch World Bank / IMF. As a result of various mutual agreements, the cooperation between the countries extends through numerous programs, including development cooperation, MATRA support, defense cooperation, etc. The improvements of the Macedonian economy in the recent period, together with its candidate status for EU membership in 2005, led the two governments to gradually end the development cooperation program established in 1994, and introduce an enhanced Multi Annual Strategic Plan for the period 2008 – 2011. 

             As the development cooperation has been phasing out, the aim of the Republic of Macedonia is to further its political and economic ties with the friendly Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Kingdom of Netherlands has a fair position toward Macedonia’s NATO and EU accession bids. Being Macedonia’s proven friend and partner, it remains, at the same time, our valuable critic. In this framework the Netherlands in particular emphasizes its support for the reform efforts of Macedonia concerning the rule of law. This message was reiterated in March 2011 during the working visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands when he met his Dutch counterpart.