Aleksandar Vulin’s socialist party initially proposed the draft law last year.
Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vulin, remains committed to enacting legislation classifying foreign-funded NGOs as “foreign agents.” This follows Belgrade’s assertion that recent protests are receiving foreign funding.
Vulin’s Movement of Socialists (PS), a member of the ruling coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), introduced the bill in November, coinciding with widespread protests triggered by a fatal railway station collapse in Novi Sad.
These demonstrations, largely involving students, have expanded to Belgrade, prompting President Aleksandar Vucic to allege foreign instigation.
“The PS will continue pursuing the foreign agents law. Color revolutions necessitate substantial funding, channeled through NGOs,” Vulin stated in a Thursday interview with Izvestia.
“Russia, China, Belarus, and other nations have successfully countered Western attempts at destabilization,” he added, affirming his commitment despite current coalition opposition.
Vulin further declared his continued opposition to “Soros and Western intelligence agencies undermining Serbia.”
George Soros, a Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist, is known for supporting liberal causes and political candidates globally, including in Serbia.
A 2001 Los Angeles Times article noted that “his Soros Foundations Network supported several pro-democracy groups, including the student organization Otpor, which spearheaded grassroots resistance against Slobodan Milosevic.”
The proposed law mandates registration as foreign agents for NGOs receiving over half their funding from abroad and engaging in political activities.
In December 2024, President Vucic rejected the bill, stating, “My answer is no,” while suggesting that elements mirroring US, European, and Russian models could be acceptable.
The EU has expressed serious concerns, emphasizing that Serbia, as an EU candidate, should uphold EU principles.
“As seen in similar initiatives in other candidate countries, such as Georgia,” the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) highlighted the incompatibility of such laws with “fundamental EU values” in a December statement.
Georgia’s adoption of a similar US-based law in May 2024 sparked protests and Western condemnation.
Washington responded with sanctions against Georgian officials and froze approximately $95 million in aid, while the EU suspended Georgia’s membership application. Tbilisi accused Western nations of interference and attempts to instigate a color revolution.