A country aspiring to EU membership cannot be the only one in Europe without a state public broadcaster

In a column published on Friday, Luigi Soreca, Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the country is facing the potential loss of an institution “that cannot be easily rebuilt” at a time when media worldwide are battling disinformation, commercial pressure and political interference.

BHRT, he noted, has been trapped in a years-long financial freefall that has now reached an existential point. Mounting debts, threats of electricity cuts, and the possibility of asset seizures have created deep uncertainty for roughly 700 employees who provide citizens with professional and impartial news coverage.

Soreca wrote that the EU is “deeply concerned” because independent and balanced public broadcasting is fundamental to any democratic society, safeguarding pluralism and ensuring transparency and accountability. He said political irresponsibility and chronic failure to uphold legal obligations have pushed BHRT to the edge, as revenues owed by law have not been delivered for years.

The EU’s Country Report, he stressed, makes clear that political independence and financial sustainability of public broadcasters are non-negotiable requirements for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European trajectory, not technicalities, but core democratic standards.

Soreca urged authorities to immediately resolve the most urgent threats, including settling BHRT’s debt to the European Broadcasting Union to prevent asset confiscation. He also called for long-term solutions to ensure the financial sustainability of the entire public broadcasting system.

Allowing BHRT to collapse, he warned, would represent a “major step backwards” and damage Bosnia and Herzegovina’s international standing. A country seeking EU membership, he wrote, cannot be “the only one in Europe without a state public broadcaster.”

The EU, he concluded, stands ready to assist reforms, but the decisive responsibility lies with domestic institutions to safeguard citizens’ right to truthful information and independent journalism. BHRT, he said, is a public good that must be protected.