Bosnia and Herzegovina - September 2023

The Parliament of the Republika Srpska (RS), the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, approved in its first reading a draft law that proposes to create a special registry of NGOs that receive foreign funding. The legislation passed the first of two planned votes in Parliament on 28 September, with 48 votes in favour and 11 against. The law was proposed by RS President Milorad Dodik in March with the stated goal of “preventing the misuse of non-profit organizations,” according to the Justice Ministry.  As a next step, the draft law will be open to 30 days of public debate before returning to Parliament for a final vote. The draft legislation would require NGOs with certain amounts of foreign funding to register with the government and to comply with administrative and financial reporting rules. It would also block these NGOs from participating in vaguely defined political activities, which could impact their advocacy work. The law could also make activities that seek to influence decision-making punishable offences. The legislation has been criticized by civil society organizations and international organizations, who argue it can be used to silence dissent and discourage freedom of expression.

Sources: European External Action Service, RFERL, Civicus, buka, N1, OSCE, CoE, Transparency International