"The interests of the Netherlands in North Macedonia are very simple.

We want prosperity and stability and for this reason we see no alternative for North Macedonia except the EU and NATO.

You must be in NATO and you must be in the EU.

This is good for North Macedonia, this is good for the Netherlands and this is good for Europe", said the Dutch ambassador to the country, Dirk Jan Kop, in Skopje today.

Access to the EU, emphasized Jan Kop, is a merit-based process, but it is not just a question of rounding off what has been achieved, but also of taking action and implementing reforms.

"In the end, only North Macedonia can decide its fate.

This is largely a national decision of North Macedonia and the only thing I can say is welcome to Europe, since on the agenda of the EU and all the important issues, such as Brexit, the budget, climate change, refugees and expansion, we always make bad compromises.

In the end, no one is happy, but every good compromise is a balance of satisfaction from both sides", declared Jan Kop today, answering questions from journalists after the event to promote the campaign "We are with you - together against violence against women and girls".

According to Jan Kop, this compromise "will not win the beauty contest", but it will definitely send us to the EU.

Bulgaria, he said, is now preventing the start of the negotiations and this is a problem, but what we want to achieve is the end of the negotiations, when the country will become a member of the EU.

"I am optimistic that this will happen, because in the end this should be a well-managed country of two million people.

Now where the problem lies, finish the work and make reforms, as in the end this will put you in an excellent negotiating position during the coming years, as well as in relation to Bulgaria", stated Jan Kop.

A feeling of optimism, according to him, should be that North Macedonia can progress very quickly in many chapters of the negotiations.

"Just one example.

When the negotiations come to the chapter on tariffs and customs, the country will pass them almost immediately.

Faster than expected and there are many areas in the negotiations with the EU where North Macedonia is the best student, compared to other countries from the Western Balkans, and this should be a source of optimism, and not Bulgaria", declared Jan Kop.

Regarding the possibility that Bulgaria will block every step of the country in the negotiations, the ambassador said that according to him, the only important thing for this country is to start the negotiations.

"The policy of the EU is that bilateral issues should be resolved between the countries themselves and there is no room for them in the negotiation process.

We will follow up on this and the Commission has indicated that it will follow up on this.

For that, if they can get some kind of compromise now between you and Bulgaria, that opens the door, and to be honest I'm much more interested in the end of the negotiations, when you meet the conditions for membership they will make you members of family, with the same rights as Bulgaria.

In theory, can a country block this process at its end – yes.

Each new chapter is a new political decision, which requires consensus from all member countries.

But,

let's say that in theory, in five or seven years after you are in the process, there will still be problems, but you will become Switzerland.

What's wrong with this", explained Jan Kop.

Regarding the reduced trust of citizens in the EU, the Dutch ambassador says that it is not as big a problem as the low trust in state institutions.

"Trust in the EU has now decreased from 70 to 68 percent, but citizens' trust in their institutions is around ten percent.

This is a problem", declared Jan Kop.