On 13 June, the Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) and the Bosnian and Herzegovina Association of Journalists (BHN) are organising a conference on “National Public Service Broadcasting in Bosnia and Herzegovina” in Sarajevo.

The joint event aims to address the urgent situation of Public Service Broadcasting in Bosnia and Herzegovina and help in finding an immediate solution for saving the national public service media in BiH.

The Conference is organized in cooperation with Council of Europe, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the OSCE Representative of Freedom on the Media, the South Eastern European Organisation (Seemo) and with involvement of the European Parliament and the European Commission. It will be held in English.

The participants will discuss the existing challenges, limits and share experience and best practices of national and ethnic PSM in Europe. They will also assess the needs for legal changes, changes of the system and the request for a Croatian channel. Participants in the conference will be representatives of Public Service Media in BiH, media representatives, BiH authorities, civil sector, the international community and experts.

Key speakers will be Mr. Nils Muižnieks, CoE Commissioner for Human Rights and Ms. Ingrid Deltenre, EBU Director General. Paco Audije from the EFJ broadcasting Expert Group will also be participating.

Those who are interested should confirm their participation in the conference  or delegate a representative from their institution to participate in the debate by 31 May to Ms. Lejla Babovic at lejla.babovic@bhrt.ba.

Draft programme:

Tuesday 13 June 2017

09:00-09:15 Welcome addresses
Mr Denis Zvizdić, President of Council of Ministers of BiH
Mrs Dejana Radovanović Šarenac, President of BHRT Supervisory Board

Key notes speeches:
Mr Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Ms Ingrid Deltenre, Director General of the European Broadcasting Union

09:45-10:00 Coffee

Panel 1
10:00-11:00     Challenges for public service media in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Financial, legal, ethnic, political challenges for PSM in BiH; remit; role for democracy; role for social cohesion; European standards

Chair: Borka Rudić
Panelists:  Mr Belmin Karamehmedović, Director General of BHRT, Mr Frane Maroević, Director of OSCE RoFM, Paco Audije, Member of the Broadcasting Expert Group at the European Federation of Journalists, Mr Predrag Kovač, Director of CRA

Discussion

Panel 2
11:00-12:30     Urgent help for BHRT
Political will; Financial help; Audience support to BHRT

Chair: Mufid Memija
Panelists: Momčilo Novaković, MP, Sead Kadić, MP, Nikola Lovrinović, MP, Mr Denis Zvizdić, Chairman of Council of Ministers of BiH, Ismir Jusko, Minister of Transport & Communications, Mr Marko Filli, Member of the EBU Executive Board, Oliver Vujović, Secretary General of South East Europe Media Organisation SEEMO

Discussion

12:30-13:30 Lunch

Panel 3
13:30-14:30     Current political setting for public service media
CoE standards on minorities and their representation in media; experience of constitutional nations and minorities; Swiss model; Spanish model

Chair: Borka Rudić
Panelists: Mr Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Ingrid Deltenre, Director General of the EBU, Dr Juan Barata Mir, international expert on freedom of expression and media regulation, Fellow at the Centre for Internet & Human Rights, Germany

Discussion

14:30-15:00 Special session with Tanja Fajon, Member of European Parliament
Chair: Boris Bergant

15:00-15:30 Coffee

Panel 4
15:30-17:00     Sustainability of PSM system in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Changes of the system; Legal changes; Croatian channel
Chair: Mr Boris Bergant, EBU
Panelists: Ivan Vukoja, representative of HNS, Mr Belmin Karamehmedović, Director General BHRT, Mr Džemal Šabić, Director General of RTVFBiH, Mr Draško Milinović, Director General of RTRS, Patrick Penninckx, Council of Europe Head of Information Society Department, Dunja Mijatović, Former OSCE Representative of Freedom of the Media

Discussion

Panel 5
16:30-17:30     Conclusions

Wednesday 14 June 2017

Panel 5
09:00-11:30      Proposals for PSM in BiH

Chair: Mr Boris Bergant, European Broadcasting Union
Panelists: EBU, CoE, EFJ, OSCE, BHRT, SEEMO, Mr Marko Divković Bosnian Association, Dunja Mijatović, Former OSCE Representative of Freedom of the Media

Discussion

11:30-11:45 Coffee

Panel 6
11:45-12:30     Conclusions