The Bosnia and Herzegovina Journalists’ Association (BH Journalists) has addressed a letter to the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (OHR), the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Europe Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina and embassies, with an urgent appeal for concrete action to help resolve the crisis threatening the very survival of BHRT – Bosnia and Herzegovina’s public broadcasting service at the state level.

“We believe that you are already fully aware of the circumstances that have brought BHRT into this situation, including the years-long failure of RTRS, the public broadcasting service of Republika Srpska, to fulfil its legal obligations regarding the collection and transfer of revenues from the RTV tax. The debt owed by RTRS to BHRT has now exceeded EUR 50 million. This accumulated debt cannot be resolved immediately,” reads the letter signed on behalf of BH Journalists by Secretary General Borka Rudić.

The letter proposes two measures that can and must be taken without further delay:

“BHRT’s bank account must be unblocked, as there is no legal basis for BHRT’s account to remain blocked since 21 August 2026. The consequences of this blockade are already directly affecting both employees and the public: journalists and other BHRT employees have not received their salaries, journalists are unable to go into the field and perform their professional duties, and BHRT has been forced to cancel programmes. This is no longer a warning of a possible crisis. The crisis is already here,” BH Journalists point out, adding that, as a second measure, the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina must urgently review the legal framework governing the public broadcasting system:

“We call on you to use your institutional relations and diplomatic channels to encourage both houses of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina to convene an urgent session and amend the Law on the Public Broadcasting System, particularly the provisions relating to the collection and distribution of the RTV tax, as well as decision-making mechanisms within the Governing Board of the Public Broadcasting System. Without functional decision-making mechanisms and a sustainable financing model, the entire public broadcasting system of Bosnia and Herzegovina remains exposed to persistent political obstruction and financial collapse.”

These two measures, the letter states, would immediately create the conditions for BHRT to continue operating normally and for all three public broadcasting services in Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue their work. They would also pave the way towards a systemic and sustainable solution in accordance with the law and the public interest of citizens across Bosnia and Herzegovina and in both of its entities.

“We believe that the international community can no longer limit its action to expressing concern,” the BH Journalists letter also states.

They note that the problems related to the financing and functioning of BHRT have been known for years to both domestic institutions and international actors. The current situation demonstrates the consequences of allowing these problems to remain unresolved:

“The international community, including the Office of the High Representative and European institutions, has at its disposal instruments, political influence and diplomatic channels that can contribute to preventing the collapse of the public service at the state level. We therefore expect these instruments to be used now, while there is still an opportunity to prevent the complete shutdown of BHRT.”

Over the past period, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Journalists’ Association has carried out a series of activities together with our European partners, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Both organisations cooperate with EU institutions, the European Commission and the European Parliament, calling on them to take concrete measures to prevent BHRT from being forced to shut down completely.

“The shutdown of BHRT would not mean merely the termination of television and radio programmes. It would represent a serious blow to the public broadcasting system of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to citizens’ right to receive credible information of public interest,” BH Journalists remind in the letter, with a clear appeal:

“We therefore call on you to treat this situation as an urgent institutional crisis and a crisis of public interest, and to take concrete measures through the channels and mechanisms at your disposal.

We thank you for your attention and for every concrete contribution you can make to preventing the collapse of BHRT and preserving the public broadcasting system of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”