Right to petition

An initiative committee, which started a petition to call a referendum against "gender ideology" and was supported by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), managed to collect a little over 208,000 signatures for the three-month period it had (it expired on July 26).

Hrvoje Zovko, president of the Croatian Journalists' Association. HND. Photo: SNH

The Bulgarian Parliament may postpone the referendum on the euro initiated by "Vazrazhdane" for more than a year. This became clear from the words of Professor Nataliya Kiselova to Nova TV. The deadline for parliament to decide on this referendum expires on Friday.

Nenad Milanovic, chief of cabinet of Belgrade mayor Aleksandar Sapic, filed a defamation lawsuit against BIRN Serbia before the Higher Court in Belgrade, seeking 200.000 dinars (1,705 euros) in damages for mental anguish.

In other news, the European Parliament threatens to take away Hungary's EU presidency next year; Poland moves to set up controversial commission to investigate Russia lobbying; and Czech TV finally to get more money.

Ljubljana – The proponents of two referendum initiatives challenging the changes to the communicable diseases act which govern epidemic restrictions are to start collecting signatures for the votes on 1 September if a referendum on the bill is permitted by legal experts.

Between 2010 and 2020 in Serbia, at least 26 civil lawsuits were brought against journalists, media outlets, civil society organisations and activists as a result of their efforts to monitor rights violations, says a report published on Wednesday by international human rights group Article 19, the ABA Centre for Human Rights, and the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia, NUNS.

Serbia's government will withdraw amendments it proposed to the Law on Expropriation and make key changes to the Law on Referendums and People's Initiative, it said on Wednesday.

According to RTS, the question is: "Are you in favor of confirming the act on changing the constitution of the Republic of Serbia?"
The proposal was sent to the Republic Election Commission, which should give an opinion on it.

178 deputies voted for the law, two were against, and no one abstained.
This law should regulate the manner of direct voting, i.e. decision-making of citizens by referendum, and the manner in which the people's initiative will be realized in the future.