Babović: Deadline for BHRT to Pay Debt to EBU Expires at the End of February

(Patria) - In March last year, the Director General of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) informed the Director General of BHRT, Belmin Karamehmedović, and the responsible minister, Edin Forta, that the EBU was giving them a deadline until the end of February 2026 to settle the debt, said Lejla A. Babović, Assistant Director General of BHRT for International Affairs and former head of the BHRT delegation to Eurovision, on the show "Morning for Everyone."

"If this does not happen, he said they would either be forced to block BHRT's accounts or again proceed with the sale of assets," she stated, recalling that BHRT's debt to the EBU has reached 17 million convertible marks.

Babović said she must emphasize that the EBU, regardless, continues to support BHRT.

"The letters begin with regret that the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not finding a solution, why it is not helping, explaining what a public service is, how important it is in Europe today, how important it is for democratic societies, and so on. And today, the EBU will send letters to the President of the European Commission, the Commissioner for Enlargement, to various addresses of European institutions, as support for BHRT and in seeking, insisting that a long-term solution for stable financing of BHRT be found," Babović stated, emphasizing that there have been EBU members in greater trouble before, but that was resolved.

She recalled that at today's session of the EBU Assembly in Geneva, where member countries will vote on Israel's participation in next year's Eurovision, Bosnia and Herzegovina will not participate due to these problems.

She also said that, seven days after the protest of BHRT workers at the building of Bosnia and Herzegovina's institutions, there is no change in the attitude towards BHRT, nor any reaction from the authorities.

"But there are reactions from the public, there are reactions from the international community. Here, we heard what happened yesterday at the PIC session and what is expected in the budget for next year. So, those who should care most about the Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina by their duty, its founders and the executive power of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they seem the least interested. They expect that someone else will solve BHRT's demands. I assume they expect the international community to solve it," she stated, recalling that such demands were previously sent to the OHR by the Association of BH Journalists and the Independent Union of Workers in BHRT.

"In any case, something must happen. The Reform Agenda has been adopted. The Reform Agenda contains deadlines, stating that the debts of entity broadcasters to BHRT must be settled and that a new law on electronic media, i.e., public services, must be on the table. I think both are at the beginning and that we cannot expect a solution to both these problems in the near future," Babović assessed.