Eurovision 2020 – Leavers and returners updated

The Rotterdam Ahoy - home for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest
The Rotterdam Ahoy - home for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest

With 41 countries on the EBU official list for Rotterdam 2020, it’s time for OnEurope to take a quick look at what that means for our favourite rumours.

Montengro won’t be at the party. Rumours began last week on fan sites that money was tight and RTCG would be forced to stay home and wash their hair. Their director general swiftly released a statement to say no final decision had been made. Seems the decision was ‘no’.

Rumours abound that Hungary might sit a year out after their national broadcaster announced it would no longer offer its Eurovision spot to the winner of the long-running A Dal competition. The EBU list confirms their departure.

Ukraine is back after all that business with Maruv last year and British money will pay for BNT to bring a ‘Bulgarian’ song to the Netherlands.

Not on the list

There will be no new names at the 2020 Contest.

In June 2018, Mentor Shala, the then-general director of Kosovan broadcaster Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), stated  the broadcaster was pushing for full EBU membership to debut at the 2020 contest. In June 2019, at the EBU’s 82nd General Assembly, members of the EBU voted against removing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) membership as a requirement to join the EBU. As a non ITU member, RTK cannot join the EBU and won’t be at Eurovision 2020.

In August 2019, Liechtensteiner broadcaster 1 FL TV announced they wouldn’t be in Rotterdam. The broadcaster is no longer actively trying to become an EBU member.

In November 2018, Jon Ola Sand asked the Eurovision reference group to consider Kazakhstan as a participant, through EBU associate member Khabar Agency – who had previously been invited to the Junior contest. The EBU confirmed in September 2019 there will be no invite extended to Kazakhstan this time around.

Staying away

Bosnia and Herzegovina is still unable to find the money to field a song at the 2020 show – they owe a considerable amount of money to the EBU and struggle to collect TV licence money,

RTVA has confirmed Andorra won’t be back – despite earlier talks with Catalan Broadcaster Televisió de Catalunya.

RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg (RTL) announced in July that there would be no song from Luxembourg because the contest would be a financial strain on the broadcaster whose main focus has shifted to news coverage.

Turkey is still sitting it out, after objecting to Conchita Wurst winning for Austria and sulking about not winning. There’s also no interest from Monaco or Slovakia.

The EBU will release a final list of participants later this month.