~6th
The NL is one of Ukraine’s key EU economic partners: ~6th largest export destination in 2024
Gateway to EU markets: Dutch ports, finance and trading networks connect Ukrainian exports to global markets
≈€11 bn
Largest EU investor in UA: Dutch FDI stock ≈€11 bn (~20% of total FDI), primarily reflecting financial structuring rather than capital origin
> 130k
Growing Ukrainian community: over 130k people under temporary protection, strengthening labour and business ties
Centre for Economic Strategy (CES), an independent Ukrainian think tank that analyzes key public policies and promotes support for reforms.
With donor support, CES has launched a series of studies on trade relations between Ukraine and the European Union countries.
Free movements of goods and services
The NL runs a persistent goods trade deficit with UA (~€800 mln in 2021, ~€680 mln in 2024). Strong asymmetry in NL–UA goods trade in UA’s favour, driven by the NL’s transit hub role
Pre-war: UA exports were led by oilseeds, vegetable oils
and cereals, linking UA agriculture to the NL feed and food-processing chains
By 2024, UA exports became more concentrated in feed-chain commodities, with rising meat exports and iron & steel dropping out
Pre-war: Dutch exports were mainly industrial goods, led
by machinery, pharmaceuticals, vehicles, and electrical equipment
Dutch exports stayed industrial in 2024, with a shift toward vehicles, machinery, electrical and medical equipment
The NL runs a surplus in services trade with UA, with wartime logistics, travel related to displacement, and reconstruction-linked services becoming the main drivers
Trade Balance UA-NL 2024
Top 5 goods in NL–UA bilateral trade in 2024, EUR mln
Free movement of persons and capital
Pre war:
~21k
Ukrainians lived in the NL
Post-2022:
+ ~133k
Ukrainians under temporary protection
~60% of working-age Ukrainians employed; many in services, logistics, trade and hospitality
1277
NL-linked firms operate in Ukraine, mainly in trade, manufacturing, ICT, energy
and logistics
UA investment in NL: companies like Astarta and Metinvest use NL holding structures for international financing operations
Share of the NL in UA’s total FDI stock, 2024 (%)
Tighter co-operation potential
-
Prioritise export-supporting logistics and storage to improve the reliability of UA’s deliveries into Dutch and wider EU value chains.
-
Expand agri-food processing and supply-chain upgrades (processing, traceability, certification) around existing grain and oilseed trade flows.
-
Scale project-linked business services (engineering, project management, procurement, legal/compliance, logistics coordination, digital support) tied to concrete reconstruction projects.
-
Use de-risking and project support instruments to lower entry barriers and move from first contracts to repeat cooperation as rules and predictability improve.
Interesting fact
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