The main task of the Economic and Trade Section (E&TS) of the embassy is to provide assistance to Netherlands and Macedonian companies that wish to establish contacts with counterparts in both countries. This assistance is not only restricted to the field of bilateral imports and exports, but also covers information on investment opportunities. In both areas - i.e. trade & investment - the Embassy aims to fulfil a match-making role. Entrepreneurs contacting the E&TS should be mindful, however, of the fact that it only provides such information and services that cannot be considered as an intrinsic part of the work of the company itself or of the agent. For example: the E&TS will suggest names of possible agents, import-export & investment partners, etc. but will not go into the selection process, for which ultimately the applicant will bear her / his own responsibility. Furthermore, the E&TS can also provide general market information, but will refer to other parties for detailed market research.The E&TS provides the following specific services to individual companies:
- General information about the business climate in Macedonia / The Netherlands
- Information about the regulatory / legal framework for doing business in Macedonia / The Netherlands (import/export procedures incl. phytosanitary regulations, investment legislation, etc.). If such information is not available "in house" at the Embassy, the Trade section will refer to the relevant governmental agencies in Macedonia / Netherlands
- Information about trade fairs
- Names of potential business counterparts (import/export/investment) agents, etc.
- Advice on how to handle certain business related problems.
General internet links:
EVD: Netherlands Foreign Trade Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and executing agency for the PSOM Programme (e-mail): 
macedonie@info.evd.nl); - Developing your Business website has a database that can help companies to do business in emerging markets. The database provides information on export support, investment facilities, research, networking, training and websites. It covers both financial and non-financial tools
- CBI: Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (promotion of investment in The Netherlands)
Financial instruments open to Macedonia
PSI
PSOM re-launched as PSI
The EVD opened the Private Sector Investment Programme (PSI). PSI is the successor of the PSOM-OS programme. The deadline for the next PSI tender is the 8th of February 2010 at 17:00.
Starting from July 1, 2005 the Private Sector Investment Programme (PSI) has become operational in Macedonia and will replace the former PSO programme. The objective of the PSI Programme is to support sustainable economic development and employment creation in emerging markets through encouraging long-lasting trade and investment relationships between Dutch companies and local companies. PSI projects are selected on the basis of an open tender procedure which is announced twice a year. Main conditions and characteristics of the PSI Programme are:
- The PSI Programme finances 50% of the project costs, while the other 50% of the project costs have to be paid for by the partner companies from the Netherlands and the PSI country.
- The hardware/equipment imported within the PSI projects is subject to import duties and taxes which are in place in the recipient PSI country.
- Dutch companies are allowed to have a majority of share in the joint beneficiary company established with the local partner from the PSI country.
- Two proposals are selected per country on the basis of quality and do not compete with proposals from other countries. Budget allowing, subsequent proposals will compete with proposals from other countries eligible for PSI support.
- The average PSI contribution per project is EUR 0.5 million, while the maximum amount is EUR 1.5 million.
The executing agency in the Netherlands is EVD, on the Macedonian side the Secretariate for European Affairs (SEA) is the leading agency. Important: inquiries about the PSI Programme must be directed to EVD and/or SEI, not to the Netherlands Embassy in Skopje.
General internet links:
- EVD: Netherlands Foreign Trade Promotion Agency and executing agency for the PSOM Programme
- CBI: Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (promotion of investment in The Netherlands)
The Overview of PSOM Projects in Macedonia 1998 - 2007
http://www.evd.nl/business/zoeken/showbouwsteen.asp?bstnum=121174&location=&highlight=overview%20psom%20projects%20in%20macedonia
ORIO (Development-Related Expoprt Transaction)
ORIO Facility: 2nd ORIO tender for 2009 will be open from 3 August until 16 November 2009.
ORIO (Facility for Infrastructure Development) is a new grant facility funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the responsibility of the Minister of Development Cooperation for support of public private partnerships in developing countries. The Facility encourages involvement of international private businesses in the development and realisation of public infrastructure projects in order to utilise the knowledge, skills and developing power of the private sector. ORIO provides grant funding throughout the entire project cycle including development, implementation (construction and/or renovation), operation and maintenance of the public infrastructure projects. Total budget for ORIO is EUR 180 million per year.
ORIO focuses on a limited number of priority sectors per country. Macedonia is one of the countries that can make use of ORIO. The priority sectors for ORIO in Macedonia that were selected in a consultation with the national authorities are: (i) water; (ii) environment and (iii) social services including health and education.
Grant applications for ORIO are developed and submitted by a consortium made up of the national government concerned and the private sector parties. Projects are selected on the basis of their relative merits rather than "first come, first serve" basis. The assessment process considers the extent to which projects are demand driven and development related. The level of involvement of small and medium enterprises is also considered while assessing the projects. Two grant tender procedures are organised annually to receive applications for ORIO. The first tender for ORIO in 2009 closed on 15 May 2009. In total 90 applications were received at the first tender. The majority of the proposals came from Africa (52%), followed by Asia (23%), Europe (10%) and Latin America (7%). Most applications were in the water sector, followed by transport, social services, energy and a few in the area of civil works, communications and environment. The next ORIO tender for 2009 will be open from 1 August until 16 November 2009.
The maximum project amount is EUR 60 million, while the minimum is EUR 2 million. For the extent of the grant percentage a distinction is made between the development phase, the implementation, operation and maintenance phase. For the project development phase, a grant of 50% is granted while for the implementation, operation and maintenance phase 35% is granted. The remaining project cost is financed by the recipient government. The duration time of the ORIO project can be up to ten years.
For more information on the ORIO visit:
http://www.evd.nl/business/programmes/programmaint_ori.asp?land=ori
Also for more information on the ORIO Programme at the Embassy you may contact Mrs. Slobodanka Matakova Lakinska at sl.lakinska@minbuza.nl
Netherlands Management Co-operation Programme (PUM)
The Netherlands Management Co-operation Programme offers senior NMCP advisers (most of them retired or early retired persons) to companies and institutions that can transfer knowledge and experience from their own specialist fields. The expenses for this advice is extremely low, compared to commercial consultancy firms.
NMCP is an organisation of senior managers and experts, funded by the Ministry for Development Co-operation and managed by the Netherlands employers federation.
- Local representatives in Skopje: Mrs. Beti Dejanova 02 312 50 71, betij@sonet.com.mk and Mr. Boris Karevski 323 92 55 bkareski@t-home.mk;
- NMCP in the Netherlands: Address: Bezuidenhoutseweg 12, The Hague, The Netherlands, tel. +31 (0) 70 - 3490 555, e-mail: INFO@NMCP.NL
CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries)
CBI is an agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and part of the Directorate General for International Development Co-operation (DGIS). The main aim of CBI is to assist developing countries in strengthening their export capabilities towards the European Union and the Netherlands market in particular. To that end, CBI offers technical and financial assistance at different levels, adapted to the institutional and market circumstances in each developing country. CBI’s main target groups are companies up to 500 employees in developing countries, beginning to export their products in EU countries. In order to be able to achieve the main aim and reach as many enterprises as possible, CBI also provides assistance in the filed of capacity building to Business Support Organisations (BSO) of developing countries. CBI provides marketing services in the manner best designed to benefit the producers, the distributors and the customers. CBI does not conduct marketing itself for the companies and BSOs but provides the required assistance to improve their ability to produce for and export to West European markets. CBI’s marketing activities are delivered within three clusters of core activities: (i) Regular CBI Programmes; (ii) Integrated Export Promotion Programmes and (iii) BSO Developing Programmes.
In 2005, CBI extended its activities to Macedonia and has initiated an Export Development Programme for the textile industry focusing on the garment industry i.e. outwear for men, ladies and children. The objective of the textile export development programme is to help selected Macedonian textile companies to increase their competitiveness on the EU markets and the Netherlands market in particular. The export development programme on garments in Macedonia is envisioned to last for 6 years during the period 2005 until 2010. Approx. 15-20 textile companies will be targeted to participate in the CBI’s export development programme.
Important: queries about CBI activities and programmes must be directed to CBI in the The Netherlands, not to the Embassy.
Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility
Next deadline
The next deadline for the embassies to send new MMF applications is 15 February 2010.
The other deadlines this year are:
- May 15
- October 15
We advise you to let applying companies send their application two weeks earlier. This allows plenty of time for your screening.
MMF & PSI
As you know, the first PSI tender resulted in 97 applications. Three of these were a result of MMF matchmaking. We expect more PSI applications with a MMF origin will follow!
Working with a Dutch business partner
Serious companies in developing countries are often on the lookout for reliable business partners abroad. The Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility puts those companies in touch with Dutch businesses operating in the same sector.
What is the Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility?
Serious companies in developing countries are often on the lookout for reliable business partners abroad. The Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility puts those companies in touch with Dutch businesses. The goal is to stimulate joint investment in your country.
What are the target countries?
The Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility is available to companies in your country and in more than 40 other countries in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
How does it work?
You must submit a proposal for cooperation with a Dutch company to the Dutch Embassy in your country. You must use a special form to do so.
The Embassy will consult with its local network to assess your proposal. Only proposals that receive a positive assessment will be sent on to EVD. Furthermore, proposals must be clearly formulated and well substantiated before being taken into consideration.
EVD, a Dutch government agency that provides support to businesses working in the international arena, will start identifying Dutch businesses that match your company’s profile.
- Cooperation initiation, hiring a consultant
If a suitable match is found, you will receive a voucher worth EUR 5,000. You can use the voucher to hire a Dutch consultant who will help you explore and define the cooperative effort between you and your Dutch business partner. The consultant’s duties include arranging a visit for your company to the Netherlands and developing a joint action plan. All travel and accommodation expenses related to your company’s visit are your responsibility.
A half year after the visit, the consultant will conduct an evaluation to determine if the activities have resulted in a basis for further cooperation.
For more information visit: www.evd.nl/mmf
What is EVD?
EVD runs the Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility on behalf of the Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation.
Interested?
Would you like to be put in touch with a company in the Netherlands to mutually set up and run a solid project? Would you like more information about the Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility?
Intake form
Please contact us at: ivan.ivanovski@minbuza.nl
