EU Delegation: Bosnia and Herzegovina could become the only country in Europe without a state-level public broadcaster

(Patria) - Bosnia and Herzegovina risks being the only country in Europe without a state-level public broadcaster. This is irresponsible and unacceptable. We call on political leaders to urgently find a solution for the financial situation at BHRT. This is essential and part of the 14 key priorities, a message from the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina after BHRT officially lost its funding, i.e., the collection of the RTV fee.

BiH risks being the only country in Europe without a state-level public broadcaster. This is irresponsible and unacceptable.

We call on political leaders to urgently find a solution to the financing situation in BHRT.

This is essential and part of 14 key priorities.

— EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina (@eubih) January 10, 2024

Ensuring the financial sustainability of public RTV services in Bosnia and Herzegovina (including all three public broadcasters - BHRT, RTVFBiH, and RTRS) is part of the 14 key priorities from the European Commission's Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for membership in the European Union. However, no progress has been made in fulfilling this priority, and the current situation with public broadcasters in BiH, especially regarding BHRT, is challenging, announced the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as reported by BHRT.

The latest European Commission Report on BiH from November 2023 emphasizes that BHRT continues to face a serious threat of closure, after years of being denied stable funding due to the non-implementation of the Law on the Public RTV System from 2003 and long-standing disputes before entity courts over substantial debts owed by RTRS to BHRT. This poses a serious threat to the financial independence and sustainability of the public RTV system, and BiH is at risk of becoming the only country in Europe without a public RTV service at the state level, states the response of the EU Delegation to BHRT.

The EU in BiH has called on public broadcasters to resolve their internal issues and encouraged all competent authorities to act swiftly in efforts to enable the implementation of an effective and enforceable model for financing the public RTV service, in line with the Law on the Public RTV Service. Such a model should ensure a cost-effective, independent, and reliable public RTV system that operates in the best interest of the citizens who pay for it.

To assist BHRT in facing the challenges this broadcaster is encountering, the EU in BiH recently funded the development of an independent financial assessment and analysis as a foundation on which further solutions can be sought.

In addition to addressing the funding issue, the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina need to complete the overall reform of the public RTV system, which will also include harmonizing relevant entity broadcasting legislation with the state-level law and ensuring the political neutrality of management boards, states the announcement from the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina.