Balkans’ Trump lobbying heats up

Bosnian Croat leader Dragan Čović has enlisted the services of Mercury Public Affairs, a company linked to former President Donald Trump, to lobby on behalf of his party, according to Justice Department filings. This move comes as Bosnia's Republika Srpska has been spending millions on lobbying efforts since President Trump's inauguration, seeking to align itself with the administration and distance itself from sanctions and calls for independence.

Republika Srpska has signed at least $9 million worth of lobbying contracts during this period, while leaders like former President Milorad Dodik, who is not registered as a lobbyist, have received assistance from figures such as Rudy Giuliani. Čović may be concerned about the amount of influence Dodik has gained in Washington and thus is looking for someone to represent his perspective.

O'Brien, a former presidential envoy for the Balkans, suggested that Čović might be interested in advocating for a Croat-majority entity, which would be a significant departure from the Dayton Peace Agreement that divided the country into two entities after its civil war. While the Heritage Foundation has expressed support for this idea, critics warn it could heighten ethnic tensions between Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks.

Currently, only one Bosniak politician, Elmedin Konaković from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has hired US lobbyists, though it's uncertain if they have received any compensation. Republika Srpska's lobbying expenditures are a substantial portion of its budget, which stands at $4.37 billion for the current year. Given that the region has just over a million residents, the scale of lobbying activity raises questions about how such funds are being allocated in a country with one of the weakest economies in Europe. Čović, Republika Srpska, and the Heritage Foundation have declined to comment on these developments.