Thewesternbalkans
The Bosnian Serb government late Tuesday (28 May) withdrew a draft law aimed at creating a register of non-profit groups getting international funding to designate them as foreign agents, officials said.
RTRS public television reported that the bill was originally on the Bosnian Serb assembly’s agenda but vice prime minister Milos Bukejlovic informed lawmakers that the government has withdrawn the law from the parliamentary procedure.
The draft law was one in a series of political moves engineered by pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who has long campaigned for secession from Bosnia. Dodik said that some objections to the law related to “European norms”.
“Since the Republika Srpska is committed to the European path, we agreed to withdraw it (the bill) and additionally harmonise it with the laws that some European countries have and… bring it in line with European legal practise,” he said.
Dodik said the bill — which was originally backed by the deputies in September last year — will be returned to the parliamentary procedure in due course.
On the other side, the opposition has said the law would further stifle the freedoms of those who express opinions contrary to the will of the authorities.
Earlier this month, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) urged Bosnian Serb authorities not to proceed with the adoption of the bill because it “undermines the freedom of association, which is crucial for the functioning of diverse and inclusive civil society organisations, independent media and human rights defenders”, a statement by the OSCE mission to Bosnia said.
The draft legislation has been criticised by the European Union as a tool to intimidate non-governmental organisations, while critics say it would further stifle the freedoms of government opponents.
Comments: The bill came after Bosnian Serbs deputies passed several controversial laws in July — notably refusing the decisions made by Bosnia’s top international envoy and the constitutional court.
Probably to some extent, however, the leadership of the Republika Srpska was influenced by the strong reaction of the EU to the adoption of a similar law in Georgia.
It is not difficult to predict that after “repair” of the project (most likely on the basis of some European laws) it will be returned to the parliament for adoption.
