What it is
The Law on Financing Political Activities is Serbia's 2022 law governing the sources and rules of financing for political parties, coalitions, and citizens' groups. It covers two different situations: a political actor's regular work and an election campaign from the calling of elections until the overall results report.
What is happening in June-July 2026
On June 26, 2026, Transparency Serbia said amendments submitted by SNS MP Miroslav Petrašinović had entered parliamentary procedure before publication of a new ODIHR opinion. According to TS, the text is almost the same as the draft parliament sent to ODIHR on May 12, 2026. The Finance Committee scheduled four public hearings: June 30 in Kragujevac, July 1 in Nis, July 2 in Novi Sad, and July 3 in Belgrade.
What the law regulates
The law distinguishes public and private sources of money, contributions, membership fees, loans, campaign expenses, reports, and oversight. The current version includes the concept of an election deposit: a guarantee that a participant will return public campaign funding if it wins less than 1% of valid votes; for national-minority representatives the threshold is 0.2%.
Spending caps
The disputed amendment introduces a campaign-spending ceiling, but TS says it is too high. N1 and Danas report figures of about 6 million euros for a list or candidate, 7 million euros for a two-round presidential election, and 12-13 million euros in combined elections. TS proposes a cap of 300 million dinars, about 2.5 million euros, and compares that with the SNS-led coalition's reported 2022 expenses - about 10 million euros for parliamentary, presidential, and Belgrade elections together.
Deposit, oversight, and sanctions
According to Miroslav Petrašinović and Kurir's report, the proposal abolishes the election deposit for political actors without MPs. TS sees a risk: lists below 1% could receive public money while forced recovery would be difficult in most cases. The organization also says the proposal fails to solve two key areas - oversight and sanctions, including the lack of a sanction for breaching spending caps and an overly broad rule on third-party campaigning.
Where ODIHR fits
ODIHR is the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. It gives expert opinions on election rules, but it does not pass Serbian laws. This topic has two layers: an earlier ODIHR opinion from May 11, 2026, which Danas and TS say already flagged missing oversight and sanction solutions, and a new opinion on the version sent on May 12, which TS said on June 26 had not yet been published.
Why it matters
For voters and taxpayers, this is about who receives public campaign money, on what terms, how visible major spending is, and whether rule-breaking is punished. For parties and citizens' groups, it affects the entry barrier: overly strict guarantees can close space for new actors, while the lack of an effective deposit and sanctions can encourage artificial lists seeking budget funds.
Next deadline
The next checkable dates are the public hearings from June 30 to July 3, 2026. After that the open questions are whether ODIHR publishes the new opinion before a final vote, whether parliament changes the text on caps, deposits, oversight, and sanctions, and whether the law includes a clear sanction for exceeding spending limits.