The German ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Thomas Fitschen, has called on the government and the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (NARS) to withdraw the proposed law on the registration of non-governmental organizations (NGO), stating that its adoption would represent a serious blow to BiH‘s path to European Union (EU) accession.
Fitschen emphasized that the restrictions planned for civil society in RS are contrary to fundamental rights and democratic values as guaranteed in the EU.
According to him, an open and free space for civil society is essential for democratic progress and BiH‘s EU perspective.
“Therefore, I call on the government of RS and the NARS to stop pursuing this plan,” the German ambassador stated.
It should be recalled that nine months after withdrawing the draft law on NGOs from the parliamentary procedure, the government of RS has once again finalized the text of this law, which it will submit for parliamentary procedure.
The Minister of Justice of RS, Milos Bukejlovic, said that the law defines certain obligations for non-profit organizations in cases where they receive funding from abroad.
The new NGO law in RS was also announced by the President of RS, Milorad Dodik, who stated that it would be adopted even at the cost of the European path.
“It will be stricter than the one we previously proposed because we wanted to reach a compromise, but since you didn’t want a compromise and instead wanted to dictate, now you will get a law that will be rigorous,” Dodik said.
The announcement of the law’s adoption has been criticized by civil society organizations as well as EU representatives, who have also stressed that it would represent an obstacle to BiH‘s path to the EU.
