Bosnia's BHRT Battles for Survival Amid Debt Crisis

BHRT, Bosnia's public broadcaster, protested its potential collapse due to escalating debt by broadcasting from a tent. Debts have accumulated over fees unpaid by the Serb Republic. The EU warns its collapse would harm Bosnia's European integration ambitions. Political deadlock further exacerbates the financial dilemma.

Amid a bitter winter cold, Bosnia's public broadcaster, BHRT, aired from an improvised tent outside parliament on Thursday to highlight the gravity of its financial crisis. This protest aimed at urging the government to resolve its mounting debt issue.

Merima Kurtovic-Pasalic, head of the BHRT union, lamented over the situation, stating emphatically that the broadcaster's survival is crucial. BHRT, a postwar symbol of unity among Bosnia's ethnic groups, faces opposition from Serb and Croat nationalist parties who reject a single state broadcaster.

Luigi Soreca, head of the EU delegation in Bosnia, warned that the collapse of BHRT would harm Bosnia's image and its EU membership aspirations. Despite numerous court orders for the Serb Republic to pay its dues, the stalemate persists, leaving BHRT's future uncertain.

(With inputs from agencies.)