On Wednesday, participants in a joint parliamentary committee meeting on demographic policy and youth and sports called for the immediate adoption of a "foreign agents" law, which would restrict the activities of civil organizations in Bulgaria. Both committees are led by the pro-Russian party "Revival" (Vazrazhdane). The meeting was convened to hear from the non-governmental organization Single Step, which focuses on LGBTQ+ issues.

The push for a "foreign agents" law comes just a week after lawmakers passed a ban on discussing LGBTQ+ topics in schools, a measure similar to those in Russia. The proposed law, modeled after Russian legislation, would require any organization, artist, journalist, or vlogger receiving financial support from a foreign foundation to declare themselves as a "foreign agent." Such individuals would be barred from working at state universities, making political comments, or participating in state or municipal-funded projects.

In Russia, the "foreign agents" law has been criticized as a tool for suppressing dissent. "Revival" first proposed a similar law in Bulgaria in 2022, but it was rejected by the then parliament. Now, however, there is renewed support for the measure among certain political groups and organizations.

The Wednesday meeting also saw the participation of various guests, including representatives from parental and patriotic organizations, a priest affiliated with the Bulgarian Parents' Central Committee, and tabloid author Evgeni Minchev. Although committee chair Kostadin Kostadinov claimed the guests attended on their own initiative, Minchev had recently posted on social media about being invited to the committee, which followed his meeting with Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova.

The central focus of the meeting was Single Step’s presentation of a recent study on adolescents' attitudes toward LGBTQ+ peers. The study, an anonymous online survey, found significant rates of bullying against LGBTQ+ children, similar to findings from a similar survey conducted in the 2017/2018 school year. Despite this, Kostadinov accused the organization of promoting "LGBTQ+ propaganda" and hinted at a potential investigation by the prosecutor's office.

Single Step defended the legality of their survey, emphasizing that it was anonymous, conducted online, and without any in-school presence or physical advertisements. No personal data was collected from the respondents. Nevertheless, many guests at the meeting echoed "Revival's" accusations against the organization.

One guest, Stanimir Minkov from the "Bulgarian Association for Youth and Sports," claimed that his organization’s survey showed a majority of Bulgarians opposed to LGBTQ+ acceptance. Although he provided no details and his organization lacks an online presence, he used this claim to advocate for restricting associations working on LGBTQ+ issues through a "foreign agents" law.

Milena Videnova from the Bulgarian Parental Central Committee supported this call, arguing that such a law is necessary to limit the influence of European Commission funds on Bulgaria's youth. During the debates, GERB deputy and former sports minister Krasen Kralev also expressed opposition to NGOs' involvement in the educational process, unless sanctioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

In Russia, the "foreign agents" law has been employed against critical media, vloggers, and artists, serving as a tool of repression under President Vladimir Putin's regime. When "Revival" first proposed a Bulgarian equivalent in 2022, critics dubbed it a "civilian death law."

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