Six active contracts and millions of dollars: Who is lobbiing in the US from Serbia, and why?

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

This, according to data from the U.S. Department of Justice for “Foreign Agents”, which were analyzed by Radio Free Europe (REL).

The U.S. is not illegal, but companies and individuals representing foreign interests must report it.

It's the Foreign Agents Record Act that makes them do it.

The database is available publicly and shows who hired American lobbyists when and what price.

Thus, documents show that the Serbian government shares tens of thousands of dollars from the budget each month to promote Serbia in Washington through media campaigns, but also meetings with American officials.

What are Serbian authorities lobby for in Washington?

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

None of them answered Radio Free Europe's questions about working for the Serbian government.

Neither did the government answer Radio Free Europe questions.

“You can see that Belgrade's lobby is intensifying, not only through the fact that there are three agreements, but also that recently a strategic dialogue with the US has been launched, so the impression is that Belgrade's most proactive policy towards Washington has intensified”, Left Europe Mijat Kostiq told Radio of the non-governmental initiative “The New Road”.

“contrate with lobby groups also show that Belgrade's goals are co-operation in the fields of economy, defence and energy industry”, he added.

The American base also provides information on some of the activities of lobby firms.

“Conversations for sanctions”

Company “CRB Global LLC” has had a one-year contract “strategic” with Government in Belgrade since February 2026.

The aim of the firm is to direct the client's relationship with the US Federal Government, as well as the client's aspirations for long-term co-operation” with Washington.

Official Belgrade pays them $10,000 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 co-operation, as well as developing relations between the US, Israel and Serbia.

And, on the American database, the only activities of this company on behalf of the Serbian Government so far are virtual meetings during the 1920s and 2026 with the American Export-Import Bank (EXIM), to discuss “the sanctions issue”.

It is not specified what kind of sanctions are involved.

But, it is known that early in 2025, Serbia employed another lobbie group, due to sanctions imposed by Washington in Serbia's energy sector, Serbia Oil Industry (NIS) respectively.

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

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

Belgrade campaignes against Srebrenica resolution

contract with company “KARV Communications” envisions “support for Serbia's Government in the field of strategic communications and media relations”.

One year contract, signed in 2023, shows that “services K ARV Communications” costs the Serbian government about $60,000 per month.

Co-operation is still continuing, but it is not known whether it is still at the same price.

The specific services will include, among other things, communication with the media and relevant US headquarters groups to introduce and explain Serbia's” political initiatives, the documents say.

The US firm will be responsible for drafting and sending speeches and reports, according to data.

“KARV” also listed some of the activities conducted on behalf of the Serbian government in the US registry.

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

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

“KARV”, as you can see, was also tasked with conveying to the American media the stance of Serbian officials who opposed the genocide in Srebrenica, approved by the UN General Assembly in July 2024.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars for ECPO promotion

The Serbian government signed a year contract with the company “Valcour LLC” in November 2024.

Both sides agreed that U.S. company services would be paid $65,000 a month, or $780,000 a year.

The contract was extended until November 2026 after its suspension, but is not specified how much the Serbian Government is currently paying for US services.

“Valcour” is responsible for consensus services in communication and relations with the public, as well as other tasks related to Serbia's promotion of EXPO 2027.

While the government, led by President Aleksandar Vuciq, describes EXPO as a <x0 historical project and a symbol of the future”. Some in public are accusing the project of corruption and lack of transparency.

Some opposition parties and nongovernmental activists demanded that international organisers reconsider keeping EXIPO in Serbia.

As can be seen at the American database, the company “Valcour”, in addition to Serbia's media presentation, was responsible for establishing contacts between Serbian and American officials.

Among the topics of discussion, besides relations between the two countries, is energy.

Who else is lobby for Serbia in Washington?

Serbia's private company “Maneks” from Novi Sad also invests more than a million dollars a year in lobbies in Washington, according to the US FHARE registry.

She chose American company “CRB Global LLC” as her partner in this business.

And the announced goals of this lobby coincide with those of the Serbian government in its contract with the same company.

While lobbi goals are the same, change, as the documents show in the American registry, is only in the sum shared by “Manex” and Government.

While “Manex” gives American lobbyists $90,000 a month for “Strategic Consult”, the state shares nine times less.

But, the government and neither “Manex” answer Radio Europe's free questions about how they chose the same company to represent their interests in the United States, nor why their interests coincide.

Also unknown is why “Manex” decided to engage in U.S. lobby.

Thousands of Kostic from the non-governmental initiative “New” points to Radio Free Europe as the contracts of private companies for lobby abroad are legitimate and legitimate.

However, a private company's interest would be primarily to have better access to the American market, through, for example, to ease tariffs, or similar ones, which affect economic and business ties”, he explains.

“It is difficult to prove that the US company itself does not really represent its own interests, but the interests of the Serbian Government”, he points out

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

The Novi Sad-based company “Manex”, owned by businessman Dragolub Tbilisi, was founded 20 years ago to trade non-ferral metals.

Meanwhile, “Manex” has expanded its business to the energy sector.

The contract with the American firm, as stated in available documents at the FARH database, will lead the client's <x0-second relationship with the U.S. federal government, as well as the client's aspirations for long-term co-operation with the United States”.

They say that, among other things, the contract includes several goals.

From the work of improving relations between Belgrade and Washington and strengthening economic ties, to exploring opportunities for additional military and technical co-operation and developing relations between the US, Israel and Serbia.

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

That means the American company should earn more than a million dollars from “Manex”.

But there are no details about the activities of the lobby itself.

Comparing two contracts, which both “Manex” and the Government of Serbia share the same company, Kostic stresses that the state shares much less than a private company.

The state can thus avoid criticism that you are spending large sums of money from the lobby budget, or rather, to improve its position in the American administration, instead of perhaps investing it in something else”, he concludes.

Businesses “Manex” have been on the rise since the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power.

It entered the energy sector by buying companies “Energothechnika Yu50na Bačka” and “Electricomonta” from Kraljeva.

In recent years, companies under the auspices of “Manex” have obtained contracts from the state for key infrastructure projects worth millions of dollars.

During the year 2025, majority ownership in “Youna Bačka” and “Electrica” will be obtained from the Hungarian state power company MVM, while “Maneks” Tbilisi's will remain minority owner with 40 per cent of shares.

After this acquisition, Tbilisi declared that his company wanted to enter the European Union market.

And in the last year alone, 2025, the profits of “Manex” exceeded 45m euros, according to financial reports analysed by the REL.

Before the SNS came to power in 2012, the Tbilisi company was the guarantor of their loan, taken for campaign purposes, the Balkan Investigative Journalial Network (BIRN) reported earlier based on available documents. Tbilisi did not want to comment on these charges at the time.

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

What are you lobing “Millenium Team” for?

Another private firm from Serbia, “Millenium Team” with headquarters in Belgrade, has a U.S. lobby contract.

They hired “Steppe LLP”, a firm of lawyers with headquarters in Washington.

“Mylenium Team” allocates about $200000 a month for co-operation with this company.

The contract has been in effect since September 2024.

“Stepite LLP” is described on its website as an office which, among other things, has an international “reputation for representing clients before government agencies”.

And as stated in the report to the American authorities, co-operation with the Serbian company “Mylenium Team” includes media relations services, but also with US institutions and officials, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The US “Work includes avocation before Congress and the executive departments and agencies”, the documents said.

For “

The goal, as they said in their response to Radio Free Europe, is to open new business opportunities for the company, but they refused to comment whether this co-operation concerns the Serbian government.

The “Details of this co-operation, to which your questions refer, make up confidential business information and are part of a contractual relationship protected by the obligation of privacy, so we are not able to comment on them”, they declared in their response.

However, a task on behalf of the company “Mylenium Team” was registered as “political” in the American database.

It's a request for a meeting with an official from the US Department of Defence and 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 is one of the companies that will participate in some future American investment here”, says Kostic.

He wins millions in business deals, which he connects with the state.

Proceeds late last year exceeded 21m euros, according to financial documents from the publicly available company, which were analysed by RFE/RL.

“As infrastructure contractor for the Government of Serbia, the client receives a portion of his income from (state) institutions” This is how it describes “Steppe” “Millennium Team” in its application to American authorities.

This private Serbian company is one of the builders of “Belgrade on the Water” a luxury resort whose construction began after illegal destruction on the banks of the Sava River in 2016.

One of the biggest projects currently engaged in “Mylenium Team” is the construction of facilities for the international EXIPO exhibition, 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 co-operation with a US lobby firm.

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

And it lasted every next year, and the annual tariffs were changed from $400 to $840,000.

Under the last contract available, the US firm is responsible for strategic consultancy for the Chamber of Commerce. First of all, on issues affecting economic relations between Belgrade and Washington and relations with US state institutions.

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