It has been confirmed by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s broadcaster BHRT that they remain sanctioned by the EBU. This sanction is over the debt they owe. BHRT confirmed this to the Eurovision site Eurovoix.
No return to Eurovision for BHRT
BHRT was first sanctioned by the EBU for its debt back in December 2016. Due to the sanction, the country is unable to take part in Eurovision. These debts are similar to that of Romania broadcaster TVR back in 2016 – Romania was excluded from that year’s contest.
In 2022 BHRT’s Head of International Affairs Leija A Babóvić confirmed the country was interested in returning, however also confirmed that the financial situation at BHRT made it “impossible”.
According to Leija at the time, BHRT’s debt was due to money owed to BHRT. Serbian-speaking broadcaster RTRS has failed to give them their allocation of fees, instead putting that owed money into their service.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Eurovision Journey
Bosnia and Herzegovina were a mini-powerhouse in the Eurovision Song Contest in the time that they took part. They debuted in Eurovision in 1993 with Fazla, singing the song ‘Sva bol svijeta’. The song placed 16th, scoring 27 points. Bosnia qualified for the final every single time bar once; their best result coming in 2006 with ‘Leija’ sung by Hari Mata Hari, which came third scoring 229 points in the Grand Final.
Bosnia and Herzegovina last participated in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2016 with Dalal and Deen featuring Ana Rucner and Jala. Singing the song ‘Ljubav Je’, unfortunately they failed to qualify – placing 11th in the Semi Final with 104 points. This marked the first time that Bosnia & Herzegovina was not in a final in its participation.
Do you want to see Bosnia and Herzegovina back in the contest? What is your favourite entry of theirs? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we look ahead to Eurovision 2024!
News Source: BHRT/Eurovoix
Photo Credit Albin Olsson
