Bulgarian Revival MPs table bill for ‘Russia-style’ foreign agents law

Bulgaria’s pro-Russian radical party Revival has presented parliament with its proposal for a bill on foreign agents, which Euractiv Bulgaria found copies the controversial Russian law.

The law is aimed at ensuring transparency and protecting Bulgaria’s national interests, said the far-right party, which is part of the new Sovereignists group in the European Parliament.

“The bill is based on the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, which has been in force since the 1950s in the US and has been adapted to Bulgarian legislation,” said party leader Kostadin Kostadinov.

However, a check by Euractiv showed that the bill has nothing to do with the 1950s US law but is entirely copied from the Russian one.

It also mainly targets media groups and organisations that engage in any kind of campaigning in society and requires anyone who receives more than €500 (1,000 levs) a year from foreign individuals, companies, foundations and others to declare themselves as a foreign agent.

This would make many freelancers in the fields of science, the arts, media, charity, and social work be labelled as foreign agents.

US law defines a “foreign agent” as a person or organisation acting as an agent of, or under the direction or control of, a “foreign principal”. This can be a foreign government, party, or person outside the United States.

Russian law defines ‘foreign agents’ as Russian organisations that receive any funding from abroad.

The Russian Federation passed the Foreign Agents Law in 2012, using the same arguments as the pro-Russian Revival Party.

“One of the main goals of the bill is to ensure that media, associations, societies and foundations, which play a key role in shaping public opinion, act in accordance with national interests and are not subject to foreign influences,” Kostadinov said on Tuesday.

Revival proposes mandatory registration of all individuals and organisations, including politicians and political parties, that receive foreign funding.

The pro-Russian party is campaigning heavily on anti-European rhetoric ahead of early parliamentary elections scheduled for 27 October.

A month ago, at the suggestion of Revival, the Bulgarian parliament passed a controversial law that effectively bans discussion of the problems of people with non-traditional sexual orientation in Bulgarian schools.

The Council of Europe has called for the legislation to be repealed, and a response is still awaited from the European Commission, which has insisted that the Bulgarian government justify the new law.

Earlier this year, Georgia passed its own version of Russia’s foreign agents law, which has stalled European integration in the country.