Agović: Bosnia participated in Eurovision during the war in '93, and now we're begging someone to go!

Eurovision is an integral part of the programme, i.e. a project that the Public Service must have planned a year in advance as a financial expenditure, and since the national Public Service is a member of the International Association of Broadcasting Organisations, it is logical that we participate in Eurovision, said Mehmed Agović, former general director of BHRT for the Bosnian news agency Patria.

Given that the end of the saga surrounding Bosnia and Herzegovina's participation in Eurovision 2015 is still not in sight, Agović believes that ultimately it will come down to „asking someone to go to Eurovision“.

- In the war year of 1993, we organised the departure of our representative to Eurovision. It was extremely important for Bosnia and Herzegovina to appear then as a subject in wartime, present in the international public eye. In this case, the Public Service did not plan the Eurovision project, and now at the last moment they are looking for someone to finance it - Agović states.

He believes that the Eurovision project must encourage musical creativity in the country, and must provide a range of music or entertainment programmes for the Public Service and programme projects throughout the year.

- More people should be involved in conceptualising this project. It is a matter of designing the programme concept of the Public Service. The objective question remains whether it can be financed, but in my opinion, this project must be included in the programme tasks of the Public Service and a way must be found to support it as a project - Agović emphasises.

The former director of BHRT is of the opinion that the organisation around this project is poor and that there is no need to go for megalomaniac projects that cost a lot.

- The Public Service must secure money for such projects, that is why it exists, as well as the RTV tax. And yet, there is always the problem of no money. This project should have been approached very seriously. A restructuring of the programme needs of the Public Service and programme obligations should be carried out, and the activities of the Public Service should be subordinated to that - Agović states.

We remind you that some media reported that the representative for 2015 would be Hajrudin Varešanović. And just a few days later, BHRT still does not know whether we will participate at all. The final deadline for a decision is 14 November.

Incidentally, Bosnia and Herzegovina last participated in Eurovision in 2012.