The Bosnian Serb Assembly has withdrawn the controversial Law on the Special Registry and Publicity of Non-Profit Organisations, known as ‘foreign agents’ law and, citing the need for further alignment with European standards. The law aimed to restrict NPOs from political activities, enforce registry enrollment, and increase oversight. International and regional warnings from the Venice Commission and OSCE highlighted its deficiencies. Previously, CSOs from the country and across the region raised alarms about its negative implications for democratic freedoms. Among them, in a letter, Civic Initiatives and Serbian CSOs warned about the law’s negative implication for the civil society environment in Serbia, while BCSDN called for stopping the declining civic space in BiH and finding a way to halt harmful legislation in Republika Srpska and its potential spill-over in the region. Read more here.
Source: Balkan Insight, Civic Initiatives, OSCE, BCSDN