Serbia spends millions of dollars on lobbying in the US, activates six contracts with American firms

Six active contracts and millions of dollars for promotion in the United States of America (USA).

The Serbian government has three contracts with American lobbying firms, the Chamber of Commerce has one, and two contracts are with private Serbian companies that have received lucrative infrastructure contracts from the state in the past.

This is shown by the US Department of Justice's database of "foreign agents", which was analyzed by REL.

Lobbying in the US is not illegal, but companies and individuals representing foreign interests must report it.

They are required to do this by FARA – the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The database is publicly available and shows who hired American lobbyists, when, and for how much.

Thus, the documents show that the Government allocates tens of thousands of dollars from the budget every month to promote Serbia in Washington - through media campaigns, but also meetings with American officials.

Serbian laws do not prevent the state from lobbying abroad to achieve its own interests.

What are Serbian authorities lobbying for in Washington?

The Serbian government has three active lobbying contracts in the US, with three different firms – “KARV Communications” from New York, “Valcour LLC” from Washington, and “CRB Global LLC” from Arlington, Virginia.

None of them answered questions about working for the Serbian government. And the government didn't answer questions either.

"It can be seen that Belgrade's lobbying is intensifying, not only through the fact that there are three agreements, but also that a strategic dialogue with the US has recently been launched, so the impression is that Belgrade's more proactive policy towards Washington has intensified," said Mijat Kostić from the non-governmental initiative "New Third Way".

"Contracts with lobbying groups also show that Belgrade's goals are cooperation in the fields of economy, defense industry and energy," he adds.

And the American base provides information on some of the activities of lobbying firms.

'Sanctions talks'

The company "CRB Global LLC" has had a one-year "strategic consulting" contract with the government in Belgrade since February 2026.

The firm's goal is to "drive the client's relationship with the U.S. federal government, as well as the client's aspirations for long-term cooperation" with Washington.

Official Belgrade pays them ten thousand dollars a month for their services.

“CRB Global LLC,” as seen in the documents, is responsible for improving relations between Belgrade and Washington and strengthening economic ties, exploring opportunities for additional military and technical cooperation, as well as developing relations between the US, Israel, and Serbia.

And in the American database, the only activities of this company on behalf of the Serbian Government so far are virtual meetings during 2025 and 2026 with the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM), to discuss the "sanctions issue."

It is not specified what kind of sanctions are involved.

But, it is known that earlier in 2025, Serbia hired another lobbying group, due to sanctions imposed by Washington on the energy sector – namely, the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS).

NIS has been under US sanctions since January 2025, due to its majority Russian ownership, with Washington's aim to prevent Moscow from using energy revenues to finance the war in Ukraine.

At the end of 2025, it was agreed to sell Russia's stake in NIS to the Hungarian group MOL, and the transaction must also be approved by Washington.

Belgrade campaigns against Srebrenica resolution

The contract with the company "KARV Communications" provides for "support to the Government of Serbia in the field of strategic communications and media relations."

The one-year contract, signed in 2023, shows that KARV Communication's services cost the Serbian Government about $60,000 per month.

The collaboration is still in effect, but it is unknown if it is still at that price.

"Specific services will include, among other things, communication with the media and relevant groups based in the US, to present and explain Serbia's political initiatives," the documents add.

The American firm, he says, will be responsible for drafting and sending speeches and announcements.

“KARV” also listed some of the activities carried out on behalf of the Serbian Government in the US registry.

Among other things, at the end of 2024, he offered American media an interview with Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, as well as his and Vucic's statement denying Serbia's involvement in the explosion in the Iber-Lepenc canal in Kosovo.

Pristina has blamed Belgrade for the explosion, which seriously damaged Kosovo's water supply and energy infrastructure.

"KARV", as can be seen, was also tasked with conveying to the American media the position of Serbian officials who opposed the Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2024.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars for the promotion of the EXPO

The Serbian government signed a one-year contract with the company "Valcour LLC" in November 2024.

Both parties agreed that the American company's services would be paid $65,000 per month – or $780,000 per year.

The contract was extended until November 2026 after its expiration, but it is not specified how much the Serbian government is now paying for services in the US.

"Valcour", as stated, is responsible for consulting services in communication and public relations, as well as other tasks related to the promotion of Serbia as the host of EXPO 2027.

While the government, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, describes the EXPO as a "historic project and a symbol of the future," some in the public are accusing the project of corruption and a lack of transparency.

Several opposition parties and non-governmental activists demanded that international organizers reconsider holding EXPO in Serbia.

As can be seen in the American database, the Valcour company, in addition to media representation of Serbia, was also responsible for establishing contacts between Serbian and American officials.

Among the topics of discussion, in addition to relations between the two countries, energy also stands out.

Who else is lobbying for Serbia in Washington?

The private Serbian company "Maneks" from Novi Sad also invests more than a million dollars a year in lobbying in Washington, according to the American registry FARA.

She chose the American company "CRB Global LLC" as her partner in this business.

And the declared goals of this lobbying coincide with those of the Serbian Government in its contract with the same company.

While the lobbying goals are the same, the difference, as the documents in the American registry show, is only in the amount shared by "Maneks" and the Government.

While "Manex" gives American lobbyists $90,000 a month for "strategic consulting," the state allocates nine times less.

But neither the government nor "Maneks" answer questions about how they chose the same company to represent their interests in the US, nor why their interests coincide.

It is also unknown why "Maneks" decided to engage in lobbying in the US.

Mijat Kostić from the non-governmental initiative "New Third Way" emphasizes that private companies' contracts for lobbying abroad are legal and legitimate.

"But the interest of a private company would primarily be to have better access to the American market, through, for example, tariff relief, or similar, which affect economic and business ties," he explains.

"It is difficult to prove that the company itself in the US does not actually represent its own interests, but the interests of the Serbian Government," he emphasizes.

"But, if one reads how the contract itself is written and the goals are the same, one might conclude that, in fact, through lobbying by a private company, the government is trying to intensify its lobbying activities," he concludes.

The Novi Sad-based company "Maneks", owned by businessman Dragoljub Zbiljić, was founded twenty years ago to trade non-ferrous metals.

Meanwhile, "Maneks" has expanded its business into the energy sector.

The contract with the American firm, as stated in the documents available in the FARA database, will guide "the client's relationship with the federal government of the United States of America, as well as the client's aspiration for long-term cooperation with the United States."

They say that, among other things, it involves several goals.

From working to improve relations between Belgrade and Washington and strengthen economic ties, to exploring opportunities for additional military and technical cooperation and developing relations between the US, Israel and Serbia.

The contract, as the database shows, was concluded on January 19, with a duration until the end of 2026.

This means that the American company should earn more than a million dollars from "Manex".

And there are no details about the lobbying activities themselves.

Comparing two contracts, which both "Maneks" and the Government of Serbia have with the same company, Mijat Kostić emphasizes that the state shares much less than a private company.

"The state can thus avoid criticism that it is spending large sums of money from the budget on lobbying, or more precisely, to improve its position in the American administration, instead of perhaps investing it in something else," he concludes.

"Maneks" businesses have been on the rise since the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power.

It entered the energy sector by acquiring the companies “Energotehnika Južna Bačka” and “Elektromontaža” from Kraljevo.

In recent years, companies under the auspices of "Maneks" have received contracts from the state for key infrastructure projects worth millions of dollars.

During 2025, majority ownership in “Južna Bačka” and “Elektromontaža” will be taken over by the Hungarian state-owned electricity company MVM, while Zbiljić’s “Maneks” will remain a minority owner with 40 percent of the shares.

After this acquisition, Zbiljić stated that his company wanted to enter the European Union market.

And in the last year alone, 2025, Manek's profits exceeded 45 million euros, according to financial reports.

And before the SNS came to power in 2012, Zbiljić’s company was the guarantor of their loan, taken out for campaign purposes, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) previously reported based on available documents. Zbiljić did not want to comment on these allegations at the time.

This businessman is also known as the president of the football club "Vojvodina".

What is the 'Millennium Team' lobbying for?

Another private firm from Serbia, "Millennium Team" based in Belgrade, has a lobbying contract in the US.

They hired Steptoe LLP, a law firm based in Washington.

"Millennium Team" allocates about 200 thousand dollars per month for cooperation with this company.

The contract is in effect since September 2024.

Steptoe LLP is described on its website as a firm that, among other things, has an “international reputation for representing clients before government agencies.”

And as stated in the report to American authorities, the cooperation with the Serbian company "Millennium Team" includes relations services with the media, but also with institutions and officials in the US, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

"Work in the US includes advocacy before Congress and executive departments and agencies," the documents add.

For "Millennium Team", the collaboration with the American company is "a business decision based solely on commercial interests."

The goal, as they said in their response, is to open new business opportunities for the company, but they refused to comment on whether this cooperation has anything to do with the Serbian Government.

"The details of this collaboration, to which your questions refer, constitute confidential business information and are part of a contractual relationship protected by the obligation of confidentiality, therefore we are not able to comment on them," they stated in their response.

However, an activity in the name of the company "Millennium Team" was registered as "political" in the American database.

It is a request for a meeting with an official from the US Department of Defense, as well as a meeting with him.

And the topic of the meeting, held in March 2025, was listed as “a discussion on Serbia.”

There are no details about the meeting.

“It is very possible that Millennium Team will be one of the companies that will participate in some future American investments here,” says Mijat Kostić.

The “Millennium Team” is one of the main players in key infrastructure projects in Serbia.

He earns millions in business deals, which he also ties up with the state.

Profits at the end of last year exceeded 21 million euros, according to publicly available company financial documents, which were analyzed by RFE/RL.

“As an infrastructure contractor for the Government of Serbia, the client receives a portion of its revenue from (state) institutions” – this is how “Steptoe” describes the “Millennium Team” in its application to the US authorities.

This private Serbian company is one of the builders of Belgrade on the Water – a luxury resort, construction of which began after illegal demolition on the banks of the Sava River in 2016.

One of the largest projects in which the "Millennium Team" is currently engaged is the construction of facilities for the international exhibition EXPO, which Belgrade will host in 2027.

How does the Serbian Chamber of Commerce lobby?

The Serbian Chamber of Commerce, as an independent institution funded by membership fees, has cooperation with a lobbying firm in the US.

A one-year contract was signed in 2019 with the company "Yorktown Solutions, LLC" from Washington.

And it was extended each subsequent year, while the annual fee amounts changed – from $400 to $840.

According to the latest available contract, the American firm is responsible for strategic consulting for the Chamber of Commerce.

First of all, on issues affecting economic relations between Belgrade and Washington and relations with American state institutions.

In addition to communicating with officials, the media and the private sector, Yorktown Solutions, according to the documents, is required to organize presentations for potential investors and similar promotional events aimed at attracting direct American investment in Serbia, as well as investments by Serbian companies in the US.