Bosnia and Herzegovina’s public broadcaster, BHRT, has been ordered to sell its assets in order to pay back its debts to the EBU.
End of BHRT saga in sight
BHRT have faced issues with debts for some years, as they struggled to pay the EBU for its outstanding debt. This is the reason that Bosnia and Herzegovina has not been present at the Contest since 2016. However, BHRT has said it is considering a return to the Contest for next year.
Until the debt is repaid, BHRT is ineligible to take part in the competition, as participation fees continue add to the total to be paid. Currently, the EBU is in the midst of filing a lawsuit against the broadcaster for unpaid debts of 16,360,851.18 BAM. This equates to around €8,367,764.60 or £7,076,973.87.
Initially, the EBU took BHRT to court in 2016 to ask for 12,198,170.70 BAM (€6,238,759.82 / £5,276,384.12) for membership costs. This also translated into other fees such as broadcasting rights to sport events and other shows such as Eurovision. However, since then, the total has increased to over 16 million BAM due to interest accrued.
Now, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo has ordered that BHRT begin to sell its assets to pay the debts back. A date of September 25th, 2024 has also been set, with the money generated from the sale going to settle the debt.
BHRT currently owns nine separate buildings, with the total value of the property pegged at 165,564,697.20 BAM (€84,687,753.61 / £71,615,897.18). Following the judgment by the Municipal Court, BHRT launched an appeal against the ruling – but no final decision was made.
Previously, Deen – who represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2004 and 2016 – spoke of his disappointment at the lack of repayment. Speaking specifically on Eurovision, he said:
Odluka da moja zemlja preskoči učešće na još jednom izdanju muzičkog takmičenja Eurosong me rastužuje. Jednostavno ne mogu da vjerujem da sam nakon sedam godina posljednji muzički ambasador koji je imao priliku da predstavlja moju zemlju zajedno s mojim kolegama na ovom nevjerovatnom muzičkog događaju koje je globalni fenomen i jako, jako važan.
The decision for my country to skip participating in another edition of the Eurosong music competition saddens me. I simply cannot believe that after seven years I am the last music ambassador who had the opportunity to represent my country together with my colleagues at this incredible music event that is global phenomenon and very, very important.
Deen, Bosnian representative for Eurovision in 2004 and 2016
Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Eurovision journey
Bosnia and Herzegovina were a mini-powerhouse in the Eurovision Song Contest in the time that they took part. The nation 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.
Would you like to see BHRT return to Eurovision in the future? Do you miss Bosnia and Herzegovina being in the Contest? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all your Eurovision news!
News Source: Klix.ba
Photo Credit: BHRT
Samantha 
Giwrgos Oiko