Bosnia’s public broadcaster BHRT aired from a makeshift tent outside parliament on Thursday, protesting mounting debt and a lack of government support. Union president Merima Kurtovic-Pasalic called it a “final warning,” highlighting the state’s responsibility to fund the national broadcaster.
BHRT, which employs around 700 people, has struggled for years as Serb and Croat nationalist parties oppose a unified state broadcaster. The Serb Republic’s RTRS stopped transferring licence fees in 2017, leaving BHRT with a debt of 102 million Bosnian marka ($60.5 million), while many Croats also refuse to pay, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Programme director Neda Tadic warned of possible cuts to gas and electricity and confiscation of property. The EU has stressed that a collapse of BHRT would harm Bosnia’s EU accession prospects and damage the country’s international image. Political deadlock and recent budget cuts continue to block long-term solutions.