Serbian opposition parties on Tuesday submitted a bill to parliament that would allow the state to take control of the country’s national oil company, NIS, in a move framed as safeguarding energy security and national interest.
The proposal, filed jointly by the Party for Freedom and Justice (SSP) and the Serbian Center (SRCE), comes amid tensions over Serbia’s energy dependence on Russia. Party leaders said the government, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, should not let foreign interests or fear of Moscow dictate national energy policy.
“We will not be hostage to anyone’s interests, neither Vučić’s nor the regime in Moscow,” SSP leader Dragan Đilas told reporters at a press conference presenting the draft law. He said Serbia must maintain an independent, responsible policy, with decisions made in Belgrade, not Moscow.
The draft law would temporarily suspend the ownership rights of NIS shareholders, including Russian energy company Gazprom Neft, and place oversight of the company in the hands of a three-member board of local energy and legal experts. Similar regulatory frameworks have been adopted in Romania and Bulgaria, Đilas noted.
Stefan Janjić, deputy head of the SRCE parliamentary group, said the legislation aimed to protect the country’s energy stability. “The constitution allows for limiting or revoking property rights in the public interest. There is no question that this is such a case,” he said.
Đilas warned that Serbia’s energy infrastructure faces risks, including potential fuel shortages and secondary sanctions, and stressed that the state takeover was the only viable solution.
The bill now awaits consideration by the parliamentary majority, which will decide whether it will be included on the agenda of the January session.