Slovenia: Eurovision participation at risk

Klemen performing How Much Time Do We Have Left for Slovenia at the First Semi-Final in St. Jakobshalle. Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU

Slovenia may skip next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. RTVSLO, the national broadcaster, says it is unlikely to take part unless the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) addresses Israel’s continued involvement amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza and a lack of transparency in the voting system. The broadcaster raised these concerns in May and again at the EBU General Assembly in July, but clear answers have yet to come.

RTVSLO has made its position clear: it will not participate if Israel takes part. In a statement, the broadcaster’s Communication Department said:

"At the EBU General Assembly, which was held in London at the beginning of July, RTV Slovenia presented its position that if Israel were to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest – due to the genocide in Gaza – it would not participate in the competition. 

RTV Slovenia believes that the Eurovision Song Contest is not only attended by public media services, such as Israel’s KAN, which has problems with the ruling politics in the country, but also by the countries themselves. For example, Belgium and Germany do not each have two representatives – one for each public service (RTBF and VRT or ZDF and ARD) – but rather one common representative of the country from which the performers come. 

The EBU is currently holding talks with its members regarding Israel’s possible participation in the future competition."

This uncertainty has affected RTVSLO’s domestic programming. The broadcaster had planned a new entertainment show to select Slovenia’s Eurovision entry, featuring young performers in episodes leading to a national final. But repeated attempts to engage the EBU on participation rules have gone largely unanswered. “So we realistically believe we won’t be able to proceed with the national selection,” said RTVSLO director Ksenija Horvat. “If we can’t agree on an appropriate participation setup, then we simply won’t participate. And that makes such a show redundant.”

Eurovision’s high costs also factor into the broadcaster’s decision, as the funds required could be used for internal productions. The EBU has given broadcasters until mid-December to withdraw without financial penalties, which aligns with RTVSLO’s annual programming plan. Unless the EBU addresses these concerns, Slovenia is likely to step back from the contest.

Slovenia is not alone in reconsidering participation. Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS is also in talks with the EBU over geopolitical concerns affecting the contest.