Bosnia and Herzegovina Radio and Television (BHRT) is entering the New Year burdened by long-standing financial problems, with the end of February approaching as a critical deadline. By then, BHRT must settle its debt to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), amounting to 22 million BAM. Failure to do so could result in the blocking of accounts and even the seizure of property.
Even the funds collected through the RTV fee are no longer sufficient to ensure the functioning of the Public Service. In response to inquiries, the Communications Regulatory Agency (RAK) previously announced that it had undertaken activities related to resolving the issue of the RTV fee amount. However, in practice, no concrete steps have been observed.
In a statement, RAK said that its Council had concluded it would contact the RTV System Board and individual system members in order to collect relevant indicators, based on which the Agency would submit a proposal on the RTV fee amount into procedure. That, however, is where the process has stalled. BHRT has not received any inquiries or official correspondence from RAK regarding the redefinition of the RTV fee.
“The governing bodies of BHRT and RTV Federation of BiH have submitted a Study to RAK, detailing the social, economic, media and broader societal reasons why the current RTV fee of 7.50 BAM has become unsustainable. It is also important to emphasize that RAK, in accordance with the law, has the authority to change the proposed amount and forward its proposal to the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina for consideration. To date, BHRT has not received any official response from RAK,” the BHRT Public Relations Department stated.
While BHRT is struggling for survival, support is coming from citizens. The Federal Union of Pensioners emphasizes that without a Public Service, there is no Bosnia and Herzegovina, noting that pensioners are among the most regular payers of the RTV fee.
“We will continue to do this, and I hope that those in government and in power will show the same understanding and find a model to resolve your issue,” said Mustafa Trakić, a member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Pensioners of the Federation of BiH.
Years of neglect by state institutions have pushed the Public Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the brink. Journalist Kristina Ljevak Bajramović believes that the lack of political will is at the core of the problem.
“If the Public RTV Service does not survive, then what else with a state label would survive? In that case, let it all go to hell,” she said.
Adding to BHRT’s financial woes is the fact that, for the past eight years, RTRS has been withholding RTV fee funds that legally belong to BHRT. So far, 102 million BAM has been unlawfully withheld. Denis Zvizdić, a member of the Collegium of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, says that collecting this debt must be the key priority.
“This must be the focus of everyone who wants to help BHRT. It was an extremely bad decision not to include BHRT in the 2025 budget, especially considering that there were also no funds allocated for seven cultural institutions that represent the face of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Zvizdić stated.
For now, all attention is focused on the end of February deadline and the urgent need to settle the debt to the European Broadcasting Union—seen as a crucial step in preventing the complete collapse of the state Public Service.
