The SafeJournalists Network expresses its deepest concern over the alarming situation at the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) and the imminent threat of the shutdown of this state public broadcaster. Today, BHRT temporarily suspended its regular programming and darkened its screens as a warning of what may soon become a permanent reality. This dramatic move comes as a direct consequence of longstanding financial instability and the imminent risk of the blocking of BHRT’s accounts due to unpaid debts.
The most urgent issue at this moment is BHRT’s debt of 22 million BAM to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The EBU has set a deadline for the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to present a concrete solution to settle this debt. That deadline expires today. The EBU has clearly stated that if no response is received, it will proceed with blocking BHRT’s accounts, which would effectively paralyze the operations of the state broadcaster.
According to acting director general of BHRT Belmin Karamehmedović, the crisis has been escalating since 2017, when Radio-television of Republika Srpska (RTRS) unilaterally withdrew from the unified RTV licence fee collection system. As a result, RTRS has accumulated a debt exceeding 104 million BAM toward BHRT, severely undermining the sustainability of the entire public broadcasting system. Karamehmedović stressed that BHRT was established by law in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH and can only be shut down by law. However, he warned that the question is how long the system can physically survive under these conditions. The number of employees has dropped from 1,000 to 775, with around 60% surviving on minimum wages.
At today’s press conference, BHRT management also presented potential solutions already submitted to the Council of Ministers of BiH, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Office of the High Representative (OHR). Proposed measures include securing a loan to settle urgent debts, including contributions for employees, liabilities toward the EBU and unpaid utility bills, as well as the possible reallocation of surplus revenues from the Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA) and other state-level funds. However, no official response has been received so far.
The SafeJournalists Network stresses that the potential shutdown of BHRT’s work would have far-reaching consequences. In addition to depriving citizens of their right to timely and impartial public information, BHRT owns and operates the state transmission network, a key communications infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its collapse could trigger a domino effect across the media sector, directly impacting other public broadcasters, as well as numerous other media outlets.
The SafeJournalists Network urgently demands from the Council of Ministers of BiH to adopt and implement a temporary financial mechanism to prevent the blocking of BHRT’s accounts and ensure the immediate settlement of the debt toward the EBU. We also call upon the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH to initiate emergency procedures aimed at securing a sustainable and lawful funding model for the public broadcasting system and to ensure the enforcement of existing legislation regulating the collection and distribution of RTV licence fees.
Finally, we appeal to the High Representative Christian Schmidt that if there is no political will from domestic stakeholders to urgently resolve the crisis at BHRT, to use his mandate to facilitate an urgent institutional solution, in order to prevent irreversible damage to the public broadcasting system and to protect citizens’ right to access public information.
The SafeJournalists Network urges decision-makers to act immediately. Allowing BHRT to collapse due to political inaction would represent a historic failure to uphold democratic standards and media freedom in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica – Tirana, February 26, 2026
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
The source: IJAS
Foto by: Canva, ilustration
