Netherlands’ Fund for Regional Partnership – MATRA

Push for the rule of law is as relevant as ever. Strengthening democratic processes, the rule of law, public institutions and civil society has long been a focus area for the Netherlands’ foreign policy. One of the longest running programs in this area is the Matra program for societal transformation, which has been running without interruption since 1993. Matra started as a program aimed at helping the former Eastern bloc countries to become strong, pluralistic societies. The program now focuses on helping to strengthen civil society organizations, democracy and the rule of law in the EU pre-accession countries, the countries of the Eastern Partnership and countries in the Arab region.

The Embassy is happy to announce the 2023 MATRA Call for Applications. By supporting projects in the areas of democratization and the development of the rule of law, we continue to invest into partners for the future in Serbia and Montenegro and further strengthen the bilateral relations between our respective countries.