Under the law, seven churches present in Serbia for centuries were given the status of traditional churches -- the Serb Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Slovak Evangelist Church, the Christian Reformation Church, and the Evangelist Christian Church.
The Islamic and Jewish communities were defined as traditional religious communities, also based on historical continuity and the status of legal persons they acquired under special laws.
The law envisages the state's cooperation with churches and religious communities, including the state's financial assistance, and prohibits religious discrimination.
Deputies of the Serbian Radical Party did not vote for the law although during the three-day debate they labelled everything but the Serbian Orthodox Church as sects.
The parliament disregarded recommendations to postpone the adoption of the law from part of the public, the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission, and Belgrade Archbishop Stanislav Hocevar.