The President of Republika Srpska (RS), Milorad Dodik, has reaffirmed that the Bosnian entity will implement a law governing non-governmental organizations.

During a press conference held in Banja Luka, Dodik remarked that “the new official American policy” validates the RS institutions’ decision from two years back to propose this law in order to establish order in that sector, as reported by the Srna agency.

He emphasized that the law would entail “rigorous control”.

“What [US President Donald] Trump has initiated gives us the opportunity to finalize this, and I believe that the RS National Assembly will address the law on NGOs in its first session. This situation allows us to align our law closely with the one in the US, minus some leniencies we were initially willing to consider,” Dodik stated.

He also mentioned that the legislation will specify the status of foreign agents for those receiving funds from foreign governments aimed, as he claims, at destabilizing RS.

“We have already requested additional lists of individuals who have received these funds within the RS so that we can monitor them more closely. This is not a matter of persecution but rather a means of reestablishing order,” Dodik clarified.

He underscored that anyone receiving funding from foreign sources must be duly registered.

Last May, the Law on a Special Register and Transparency of Non-Profit Organizations was withdrawn from parliamentary deliberation due to significant pressure from both domestic and international sources.

In a public statement on Thursday, January 23, Dodik declared that this law has returned to consideration.

The next day, a Draft Law was released on the Ministry of Justice’s website, featuring minor alterations from the text that was previously retracted.

The proposed legislation outlines provisions for monitoring foreign-funded non-governmental organizations, prohibiting widely defined political activities, requiring additional registration, and mandating reports to the Ministry regarding the acceptance of foreign financial resources.

Moreover, in cases of law violations, the relevant ministry may recommend a court-imposed ban on their operations.

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