List of countries in the Eurovision Song Contest

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Map showing debuts in the contest by decade: Kosovo participated as part of Yugoslavia between 1961 and 1991 and as part of FR Yugoslavia in 1992 and later Serbia & Montenegro until 2005 and as a part of Serbia in 2007
Graph showing the number of participating countries in the Eurovision Song Contest from 1956 to 2015

Fifty-two countries have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since it started in 1956. Of these, twenty-five have won the contest. The contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), is held annually between members of the Union. Broadcasters from different countries submit songs to the event, and cast votes to determine the most popular in the competition.

Participation in the contest is primarily open to all active member broadcasters of the EBU. To be an active member, broadcasters must be in the European Broadcasting Area, or be in a Council of Europe member country.[1] Eligibility to participate is not determined by geographic inclusion within the continent of Europe, despite the "Euro" in "Eurovision" — nor does it have a direct connection with the European Union. Several countries geographically outside the boundaries of Europe have competed: Israel, Cyprus and Armenia, in Western Asia, since 1973, 1981 and 2006 respectively; Morocco, in North Africa, in the 1980 competition alone; and Australia making a debut in the 2015 contest. In addition, several transcontinental countries with only part of their territory in Europe have competed: Turkey, since 1975; Russia, since 1994; Georgia, since 2007; and Azerbaijan, which made its first appearance in the 2008 edition. Two of the countries that have previously sought to enter the competition, Lebanon and Tunisia, in Western Asia and North Africa respectively, are also outside of Europe. The Gulf state of Qatar, in Western Asia, announced in 2009 its interest in joining the contest in time for the 2011 edition.[2] However, this did not materialise, and there are no known plans for a future Qatari entry the Eurovision Song Contest. The People's Republic of China have officially announced their interest in participating in the 2016 contest. The future of Australia in the competition is currently being discussed by the EBU, with the possibility of permanent participation. The Czech Republic, Cyprus, and Serbia returned for 2015 contest and Turkey and Ukraine have announced their return in time for the 2016 contest. No further countries have withdrawn since 2014 (when Ukraine took a one-year break).

The number of countries participating each year has grown steadily, from seven in 1956 to over twenty in the late 1980s and 43 in 2011. As the number of contestants has risen, preliminary competitions and relegation have been introduced, to ensure that as many countries as possible get the chance to compete. In 1993, a preliminary show, Kvalifikacija za Millstreet ("Qualification for Millstreet"), was held to select three Eastern European countries to compete for the first time at the main Contest.[3] After the 1993 Contest, a relegation rule was introduced; the six lowest-placed countries in the contest would not compete the following year.[4] In 1996, a new system was introduced. Audio tapes of all twenty-nine entrants were submitted to national juries. The twenty-two highest-placed songs after the juries voted reached the contest. Norway, as host country, was given a bye to the final.[5] From 1997 to 2001 a system was used whereby the countries with the lowest average scores over the previous five years were relegated. Countries could not be relegated for more than one year.[6]

Between 2001 and 2003, the relegation system used in 1994 and 1995 was used. In 2004, a semi-final was introduced. The ten highest-placed countries in the previous year's Contest qualified for the final, along with the "Big Four": the largest financial contributors to the EBU. All other countries entered the semi-final. Ten countries qualified from the semi, leaving a final of twenty-four.[7] In 2008, two semi-finals were held with all countries, except the host country and the Big Four, participating in one of the semi-finals.[8]

Some countries, such as Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, have entered on all but a handful of occasions; Morocco, on the other hand, has only entered once. Two countries, Tunisia and Lebanon, have attempted to enter the contest but withdrew before making a début. Liechtenstein, a country without an eligible television service, tried unsuccessfully to enter in 1976.[9]

Participants[edit]

Dan Ar Braz represented France in 1996, performing in the Breton language
Jari Sillanpää represented Finland in the first Eurovision semi-final in 2004, failing to qualify.
Magdi Rúzsa, born in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, represented Hungary in 2007.[10]
Lys Assia, the first Eurovision winner, was a special guest in 2008.

Morocco participated in the contest once, in 1980. Luxembourg, one of the original seven participants, has not been seen at the contest since 1993. Italy withdrew from the contest in 1997 and returned in 2011. Slovakia previously competed three times between 1994 and 1998, failing to break into the top ten, but returned in 2009.[11] Monaco returned to the contest in 2004, after over two decades out of the contest. However, the country failed to advance from the semi-final with each of its first three entries post-return, and withdrew after the 2006 Contest.[12]

Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro were both dissolved, in 1991 and 2006 respectively. Serbia and Montenegro in the attempt to mask as Yugoslavia, participated in the 1992 Contest under its name but representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which consisted of only the two republics. Both Montenegro and Serbia have competed as separate countries since 2007.[13]

Austria, having returned from a one-year absence, withdrew from the 2008 Contest; Edgar Bohm of ORF said "We've already seen in 2007 that it's not the quality of the song, but the country of origin that determines the result."[14] Austria returned in 2011 and has participated in 2012, 2013 and 2014, winning the latter edition.

The following table lists the countries that have participated in the contest at least once. Shading indicates countries that have withdrawn from the contest.

Table key
     Withdrawn – Countries who have participated in the past but have withdrawn.
     (and strikethrough) Former – Former countries that have dissolved.
Country Debut year Latest entry Entries Wins Broadcaster(s)[15]
EuroAlbania.svg Albania
2004
2015
12
0
RTSH
EuroAndorra.svg Andorra
2004
2009
6
0
RTVA
EuroArmenia.svg Armenia
2006
2015
9
0
AMPTV
EuroAustralia.svg Australia
2015
2015
1
0
SBS
EuroAustria.svg Austria
1957
2015
48
2
ORF
EuroAzerbaiyán.svg Azerbaijan
2008
2015
8
1
İTV
EuroBielorrusia.svg Belarus
2004
2015
12
0
BTRC
EuroBélgica.svg Belgium
1956
2015
57
1
VRT (Dutch)
RTBF (French)[a]
EuroBosnia-Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina
1993
2012
18
0
BHRT
EuroBulgaria.svg Bulgaria
2005
2013
9
0
BNT
EuroCroacia.svg Croatia
1993
2013
21
0
HRT
EuroChipre.svg Cyprus
1981
2015
32
0
CyBC
EuroRepública Checa.svg Czech Republic
2007
2015
4
0
ČT
EuroDinamarca.svg Denmark
1957
2015
44
3
DR
EuroEstonia.svg Estonia
1994
2015
21
1
ERR
EuroFinlandia.svg Finland
1961
2015
49
1
YLE
EuroFrancia.svg France
1956
2015
58
5
RTF (1956–1964)
ORTF (1965–1974)
TF1 (1975–1981)
France Télévisions (1983–)
EuroGeorgia.svg Georgia
2007
2015
8
0
GPB
EuroAlemania.svg Germany
1956
2015
59
2
HR (1956–1978) (ARD)
BR (1979–1991) (ARD)
MDR (1992–1995) (ARD)
NDR (1996–) (ARD)
EuroGrecia.svg Greece
1974
2015
36
1
ERT (1974–2013, 2016–)
NERIT (2014–2015)
EuroHungría.svg Hungary
1994
2015
13
0
MTVA
EuroIslandia.svg Iceland
1986
2015
28
0
RÚV
EuroIrlanda.svg Ireland
1965
2015
49
7
RTÉ
EuroIsrael.svg Israel
1973
2015
38
3
IBA
EuroItalia.svg Italy
1956
2015
41
2
RAI
EuroLetonia.svg Latvia
2000
2015
16
1
LTV
EuroLituania.svg Lithuania
1994
2015
16
0
LRT
EuroLuxemburgo.svg Luxembourg
1956
1993
37
5
RTL (CLT)
EuroMacedonia.svg Macedonia
1998
2015
15
0
MKRTV
EuroMalta.svg Malta
1971
2015
28
0
PBS
EuroMoldova.svg Moldova
2005
2015
11
0
TRM
EuroMónaco.svg Monaco
1959
2006
24
1
TMC
EuroMontenegro.svg Montenegro
2007
2015
7
0
RTCG
EuroMarruecos.svg Morocco
1980
1980
1
0
SNRT
EuroPaíses Bajos.svg Netherlands
1956
2015
56
4
NTS (1956–1969)
NOS (1970–2009)
TROS (2010–2013)
AVROTROS (2014–)
EuroNoruega.svg Norway
1960
2015
54
3
NRK
EuroPolonia.svg Poland
1994
2015
18
0
TVP
EuroPortugal.svg Portugal
1964
2015
48
0
RTP
EuroRumania.svg Romania
1994
2015
17
0
TVR
EuroRusia.svg Russia
1994
2015
19
1
RTR (1994, 1996, 2008–)
C1R (1995–)[d]
EuroSan Marino.svg San Marino
2008
2015
6
0
SMRTV
EuroSrbija.svg Serbia
2007
2015
8
1
RTS
EuroSerbia-Montenegro.svg Serbia and Montenegro
2004
2005
2
0
UJRT
EuroEslovaquia.svg Slovakia
1994
2012
7
0
STV (1994–2010)
RTVS (2011–2012)
Sib.png Slovenia
1993
2015
21
0
RTV SLO
EuroEspaña.svg Spain
1961
2015
55
2
TVE
EuroSuecia.svg Sweden
1958
2015
55
6
Sveriges Radiotjänst (1958)
SR (1959–1979)
SVT (1980–)
EuroSuiza.svg Switzerland
1956
2015
56
2
SRG SSR
EuroTurquía.svg Turkey
1975
2012
34
1
TRT
EuroUcrania.svg Ukraine
2003
2014
12
1
NTU
EuroReino Unido.svg United Kingdom
1957
2015
58
5
BBC
EuroYugoslavia.svg Yugoslavia
1961
1992
27
1
JRT

Participating countries in the decades[edit]

The table lists the participating countries in each decade since the first ESC was held in 1956.

Seven countries participated in the first contest. Since then, the number of entries has increased steadily. In 1970, a Nordic-led boycott of the contest reduced the number of countries entering to twelve.[16] By the late 1980s, over twenty countries had become standard.

In 1993, the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe gave many new countries the opportunity to compete. Three countries—Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, all of them former Yugoslav republics, won through from a pre-qualifier to compete. After the 1993 event, a relegation system was introduced, allowing even more Eastern European countries to compete: seven more made their debut in 1994.

In 2003, three countries applied to make their debut: Albania, Belarus and Ukraine. In addition, Serbia and Montenegro, who had not competed since 1992, applied to return. The EBU, having originally accepted the four countries' applications, later rejected all but Ukraine; allowing four extra countries to compete would have meant relegating too many countries.[17][18] The semi-final was introduced in 2004 in an attempt to prevent situations like this. The Union set a limit of forty countries,[19] but by 2005 thirty-nine were competing. In 2007, the EBU lifted the limit, allowing forty-two countries to compete. Two semi-finals were held for the first time in 2008.[8]

Table key[edit]

     Winner – The country won the ESC that year.
     Second place – The country was ranked second that year.
     Third place – The country was ranked third that year.
     Remaining places – The country placed from fourth to second last this year.
     Last – The country was ranked last that year.
     Non-qualified – The country did not qualify to the final (2004–).
     Non-qualified for the contest – The country did not survive the pre-qualifying round (1993, 1996)
     Undecided – The country has confirmed participation for the next ESC, however, the competition has not yet taken place.
     Debutant – The country made its debut during the decade.
     Did not participate – The country did not participate in the ESC that year.
A cross (X) means that the country participated in the contest that year.

1950s[edit]

1960s[edit]

1970s[edit]

1980s[edit]

1990s[edit]

2000s[edit]

2010s[edit]

Records[edit]

Records up to 2015.

Most-related records[edit]

  • Most wins : Ireland Ireland - 7 [20]
  • Most wins in the 21st century Sweden Sweden - 2 [21] [22]

The 21st century is from 2001 to 2100

  • Most runner-ups : United Kingdom United Kingdom - 15 [20]
  • Most runner-ups in the 21st century : Russia Russia - 3 [23]
  • Most third place songs : France France - 7 [24]
  • Most fourth place songs : France France - 7 [24]
  • Most fifth place songs : Sweden Sweden - 7 [25]
  • Most participations : Germany Germany - 59 [20]
  • Most successful decade by any country : Ireland Ireland - 1990s (4 Winners , 2 Runner-ups , 8 Top tens) [26]
  • Most top tens in a single decade : United Kingdom United Kingdom - 1960s , France France - 1960s (9 Top tens) [27] [24]
  • Most sucessful first ten years : France France - 3 Winners , 1 Runner-up , 2 Third places , 2 Fourth places and 1 Fifth place (27 points) [24]

5 points for a win , 4 points for a runner-up and continue to a point for a fifth place

  • Most lasts in the final : Norway Norway - 11 [20]
  • Most lasts in the semi-final or pre-qualifying: Romania Romania , Czech Republic Czech Republic and Switzerland Switzerland - 2 (1993, 1996 / 2007,2009 / 2010,2015 respectively) [28][29][30]
  • Most points in the single contest: Norway Norway - 387 (2009) [20]
  • Most 12 points received in a single contest: Sweden Sweden - 18 (2012) [21]
  • Most points behind the leader before five last countries voted , won the contest: Israel Israel - 22 (1979) [31]

Spain, the leader of that time, hadn't voted yet. If the record specific that five countries are left to vote with all countries in the title race can receive full 60 points, Switzerland Switzerland will hold the record from the 1988 contest with 10 points behind. [32]

  • Most points leading before five last countries voted: Norway Norway - 158 (2009) [33]
  • Most successful debut: Serbia Serbia - Winner (2007) [34]

First-related records[edit]

  • First song: Netherlands Netherlands - De vogels van Holland by Jetty Paerl[35]
  • First conductor who maestro in the contest: Switzerland Switzerland - Fernando Paggi (conducting Jetty Paerl's song) [35]
  • First multi-language song: Switzerland Switzerland - Giorgio by Lys Assia (1958 runner-up) [36]
  • First song in colour: Portugal Portugal - Verão by Carlos Mendes (1968) [37]
  • First song that receive 12 points: Luxembourg Luxembourg - Toi by Geraldine (1975) voted by Netherlands Netherlands [38]
  • First singer to sing in four seperate contests: Belgium Belgium - Fud Leclerc (1956,1958,1960 and 1962) [39]
  • First (and only) lead singer to win twice: Ireland Ireland - Johnny Logan (1980,1987) [26]
  • First singer to finish last twice:Norway Norway - Anne-Karine Ström (1974,1976) [40]
  • First country to finish last for two entries in a row:Luxembourg Luxembourg (1958,1960)[41]
  • First contest on a...:
    • Sunday: Germany Germany - 3 March 1957 [42]
    • Monday: never
    • Tuesday: United Kingdom United Kingdom - 29 March 1960[43]
    • Wednesday: Netherlands Netherlands - 12 March 1958 [44]
    • Thursday: Switzerland Switzerland - 24 May 1956 [45]
    • Friday: never
    • Saturday: France France - 18 March 1961[46]

Other records and notable summaries[edit]

  • The first televote[47]:
    • Call from: Switzerland Basel,Switzerland (German language)
    • To: Germany Frankfurt,West Germany (1957 contest)
    • First country that receive points and number of points: Netherlands Netherlands - 7
    • Spokeperson: Switzerland Mäni Weber

Unsuccessful attempts to participate[edit]

There have been several unsuccessful attempts to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. For broadcasters to participate, they must be member of the EBU and register their intention to compete before the deadline specified in the rules of that year's event. Each participating broadcaster pays a fee towards the organisation of the contest. Should a country withdraw from the contest after the deadline, they will still need to pay these fees, and may also incur a fine or temporary ban.[48]

Catalonia[edit]

Catalonia
Flag
Member station TV3 (TVC) (pending)
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.ccma.cat/tv3/
Catalonia's page at Eurovision.tv

The Catalan Parliament are holding a regional election between 25 September and 26 September 2015, in order to try to begin processes to declare independence from Spain. Independence from Spain would give Catalonia eligibility to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in the future, given that they join the ITU and then the EBU with the TV station TV3. The Catalans have been turned down by the EBU from the right to participate independently in the past, not only because they are under the rule of the Spanish government, but because Televisió de Catalunya (TVC), the colony's public broadcaster, had to cover at least 97% of the territory.

Background history[edit]

11 Catalan singers have represented Spain at the Contest since 1956, the last being Rodolfo Chikilicuatre in 2008. Catalonia was a major part of Andorra’s first participation in 2004. Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) and TV3 jointly produced and broadcast the competition that selected the entry for Andorra, viewers in Catalonia held a 50% say in the result of the final show. Andorra performed in Catalan at every contest from 2004 to 2009.[49]

China[edit]

China
Flag
Member station Hunan Television (pending)
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.hunantv.com/
China's page at Eurovision.tv

Chinese provincial television channel Hunan Television had confirmed its interest in participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The EBU had responded saying "we are open and are always looking for new elements in each Eurovision Song Contest".[50] However, on 3 June 2015, the EBU denied that China would participate as a guest or full participant in 2016.[51]

Faroe Islands[edit]

Faroe Islands
Flag
Member station Kringvarp Føroya (pending)
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.kvf.fo/
Faroe Islands's page at Eurovision.tv

Since 2010, the Faroese national broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya (KVF) has been attempting to gain EBU membership and thus participate independently in the Eurovision Song Contest. However KVF cannot obtain EBU membership due to the islands not being independent from the Kingdom of Denmark. The education minister of the islands, Bjørn Kalsø, supported participation, saying, "the justification so far has been that the countries have to be acknowledged by the United Nations as independent in order to participate. But there is no doubt that we could easily overstep those barriers, if we’re absolutely determined to reach this goal ... it is completely up to Kringvarpið ... to renew the application regularly, and show the EBU that the Faroe Islands are an equal match to other countries when it comes to participation in the Eurovision Song Contest."[52][53]

Kazakhstan[edit]

Kazakhstan
Flag
Member station K-1 (pending)
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.kaztrk.kz/
Kazakhstan's page at Eurovision.tv

Kazakhstan has not participated in the Eurovision Song Contest yet. Kazakhstan is negotiating to join the European Broadcasting Union. The state television company (K-1) has been hoping for pending or approved EBU membership since 2008. If this happens, they may be eligible to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest.[54] Nevertheless, they have broadcast the Eurovision Song Contests from 2010 onwards. However, according to the EBU, no Kazakh broadcaster has ever formally applied to join the EBU.[55]

Kosovo[edit]

Kosovo
Flag
Member station RTK (pending)
National selection events Akordet e Kosovës
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.rtklive.com/en/
Kosovo's page at Eurovision.tv

Kosovo has never participated independently in the Eurovision Song Contest. The Kosovan national broadcaster has applied for membership to the EBU but has not been accepted as a full member.[c] However, RTK has been licensed to broadcast all three shows for many years. Although, Kosovo hasn't participated in the song contest yet, they did participate in the Eurovision Young Dancers 2011.

However, the foreign minister of Kosovo tweeted that his country (not recognised by fifteen states in Europe and still not an active member of the EBU) will participate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest marking its debut to the contest. The tweet said that the foreign minister is confirming participating but cannot say how.[56] On 3 June 2015, the EBU denied that Kosovo would compete in 2016, as the national broadcaster, Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), has neither an associate nor active membership.[51]

History and interest[edit]

Jugovizija, the national pre-selection of Yugoslavia organized by the Yugoslav broadcaster Yugoslav Radio Television (JRT) and it featured entries submitted by the subnational public broadcasting centres based in the capitals of each of the constituent republics and autonomous provinces. Each of them had its own regional jury. SAP Kosovo was represented by RTV Priština, but their entry has never won. Jugovizija 1986 was organized by RTV Priština. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, singers from Kosovo, especially Kosovo Serbs, participated in national selection of Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia organized by Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

After Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008, its broadcaster Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) applied for EBU membership, and wished to enter Kosovo into Eurovision Song Contest 2009.[57][58] Kosovo would have made their Eurovision Song Contest debut in 2009 if it could have joined the EBU. Kosovo is partially recognized and not a member of the United Nations, and UN membership is required to obtain full EBU membership. There is already a cooperation agreement signed between the EBU and RTK and the EBU supports the membership of RTK. As of 2013, RTK has observer status within the EBU and did participate in the Eurovision Young Dancers 2011.[59][60] According to the Kosovan newspaper Koha Ditore, a possible entry would be selected via a national final called Akordet e Kosovës, a former pop show that had been taken off the air some years ago.[61][62][63]

Lebanon[edit]

Lebanon
Flag
Member station Télé Liban
National selection events Our Eurovision
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.teleliban.com.lb/
Lebanon's page at Eurovision.tv

Lebanon has never participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. The country's broadcasting organization, Télé Liban, was set to make the country's debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Quand tout s'enfuit" performed by Aline Lahoud, but withdrew due to Lebanon's laws banning the broadcast of Israeli content.

Liechtenstein[edit]

Liechtenstein
Flag
Member station 1FLTV (pending)
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.1fl.li/
Liechtenstein's page at Eurovision.tv

Liechtenstein has never participated at the Eurovision Song Contest, but the contest has had a long history within the country, with at least one attempt to participate being made by the principality.

Background and first attempts[edit]

Liechtensteiners have had the opportunity to watch the contest on Swiss, Austrian or German television. The country has made attempts to participate in the contest in the past: in 1976 a Liechtenstein entry was selected to compete in the contest – Biggi Bachman and "Little Cowboy" would have been the country's first entry had there been a national broadcaster, but as there was none in the country the entry was rejected from competing.[64][65]

A broadcaster and Eurovision interest[edit]

On 15 August 2008, 1FLTV, licensed by the Liechtensteinese Government, became the first broadcaster based in Liechtenstein. This would allow the country to begin competing at the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, should they decide to join the EBU, a pre-requisite for entering the contest.[66][67] Shortly after its foundation however, the broadcaster announced that they were not interested in joining the EBU or Eurovision at that time because they had no budget for membership.[68]

In July 2009, the broadcaster officially announced its intent to apply to join the EBU by the end of July, with the intent of taking part at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, to be held in Oslo, Norway.[69] Peter Kölbel, managing director of 1FLTV, officially confirmed the broadcaster's interest, revealing that they had plans to develop a national final similar to Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German version of the Idol series.[70] In November 2009, 1FLTV decided to postpone EBU and Eurovision plans, due to financial reasons began to search for other options for funding EBU membership in the future.[71][72]

1FLTV submitted its application for EBU membership on 29 July 2010. If accepted, 1FLTV would have gained full EBU membership and would have been able to send an entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.[73] However, Liechtenstein did not appear on the official list of participants for Eurovision 2011. In late 2012 it was announced by Peter Kölbel of 1FLTV that Liechtenstein would not be able to take part till 2013 at the earliest. They had been trying to get government subsidies since 2010 to enable participation, participation was likely if in April 2012 the Government approved funding.

On 10 September 2013, 1FLTV informed and confirmed to Esctoday.com that Liechtenstein would not be participating at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark.[74] This was confirmed again on 28 July 2014 in the run-up to the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Austria. 1FLTV did however state their interest in participating in the Eurovision Song Contest, but that they have to evaluate the costs of EBU membership, a necessary prelude to participation.[75] In September 2015, 1FLTV confirmed that the nation will not be able to make its début in 2016, due to lack of funds to join the EBU.[76]

Palestine[edit]

Palestine
Flag
Member station PBC (pending)
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.pbc.ps/
Palestine's page at Eurovision.tv

Palestine has shown interest in participating in the Eurovision Song Contest, however the country is not a member of the EBU and get therefore not allowed to participate. Palestine national broadcaster Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), which Palestine Radio and TV Corporation (PRTC) succeeded, is the current Radio and TV broadcaster in the Palestinian territories. The broadcasting corporation is a former Associate Member, and was alleged to have held negotiations with the EBU to become a Active Member in 2007.[77] However, Palestine is not a member of the required organisations, and thus does not comply with the criteria.[78] In 2009 it was approved as a member of the EBU with hopes of entering the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. It however didn't manage to enter that year's Eurovision.

Qatar[edit]

Qatar
Flag
Member station Qatar Radio (pending)
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.qatarradio.net/
Qatar's page at Eurovision.tv

Qatar Radio is currently an associate member of the EBU, while primarily all competing countries of the Eurovision Song Contest are active members of the union. The broadcaster first revealed on 12 May 2009 that they were interested in becoming active members of the union, which would allow the nation to compete in the contest. Qatar Radio had stated that they hoped to participate in the contest by 2011.[2] Qatar first became involved in the contest at the 2009 edition, where the broadcaster sent a delegation to the contest and broadcast a weekly radio show called '12pointsqatar' dedicated to Eurovision. The show received favourable responses and has initiated further involvement of Qatar in the Contest.[2]

Scotland[edit]

Scotland
Flag
Member station BBC Scotland, SBS, STV or ITV Border
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/

http://www.stv.tv/
Scotland's page at Eurovision.tv

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has campaigned for a place in Eurovision for Scotland but had been rejected numerous times because Scotland is represented as a part of the British entry and is represented by the BBC. On 11 February 2008 the EBU stated that a Scottish broadcaster could apply for EBU membership, but under the current rules could not enter the Eurovision Song Contest as the BBC currently has exclusive rights to represent the entire United Kingdom.

Scotland would have been eligible to enter the contest had Scotland gained independence as a result of the Scottish independence referendum, 2014, as Scotland would therefore have been a separate country.[79] On 25 November 2013, the Scottish Government released a referendum blueprint which detailed plans for the transfer of BBC Scotland into the Scottish Broadcasting Service (SBS) and joining the EBU, as well as partaking in competitions, including Scottish entries in the Eurovision Song Contest. Had the referendum vote been favour of independence, then the earliest that Scotland would be eligible to début would have been 2017.[80][81][82] However, the referendum result on 18 September 2014 was to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the aforementioned BBC retains exclusive rights to represent the United Kingdom, including Scotland.

Soviet Union[edit]

Soviet Union
Flag
Member station CT USSR
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
Soviet Union's page at Eurovision.tv

The Soviet Union never participated the Eurovision Song Contest, but it made several attempts in the late 1980s. In 2009 Eduard Fomin, a former employee of the Ministry of Education of the RSFSR, revealed that in 1987 George Veselov, the Minister of Education for the Soviet Union, brought forward the idea of Soviet participation in the Eurovision Song Contest due to the number of political reforms made by the President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev during the late 1980s. The idea was mainly a political one, with the thought that a win in the contest for the Soviet Union would impact on the relationships between the Soviet Union and the capitalist countries of the west. Valery Leontyev was suggested as a singer for the Soviet Union's first entry into the contest, but Veselov's ideas were not shared by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, or by Gorbachev himself, believing it to be too radical a step to take, and so the Soviet Union never entered the contest before dissolving.[83]

Ten former republics of the Soviet Union would later compete in the contest on their own in the 1990s and 2000s: Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, with five of the countries going on to win the contest: Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, and Azerbaijan.

Tunisia[edit]

Tunisia
Flag
Member station RTT
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.watania1.tn/
Tunisia's page at Eurovision.tv

Tunisia was to perform fourth in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest's running order. The reason for the country's withdrawal was never officially established; rumours suggest RTT did not want to compete with Israel.[9][84] To date, the only African nation to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest is Morocco, who made just one appearance, in the 1980 contest. On 18 June 2007, the public Tunisian television broadcaster confirmed that due to a governmental request they will not participate in the Contest.[85] No comment by the post-Arab Spring government has been made.

Wales[edit]

Wales
Flag
Member station S4C, BBC Cymru Wales or ITV Cymru Wales
National selection events Cân i Gymru
Appearances
Appearances 0
External links
http://www.s4c.cymru/cy/ http://www.bbc.com/cymru/ http://www.itv.com/news/wales/
Wales's page at Eurovision.tv

Welsh language broadcaster S4C considered the possibility of participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008, and, in addition, already holds a annual national song contest called "Cân i Gymru" (A Song for Wales). It was first introduced in 1969 when BBC Cymru wanted to enter the Eurovision Song Contest. Potential participants were considered, but in the end it was decided they would not to participate in the competition. In 2009, Jillian Evans, a representative of the European Parliament from Wales, stated her interest in securing Wales a place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Norway. Wales could be represented by either BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Cymru Wales or S4C.

Other EBU members who can participate but have never entered[edit]

Below is a summary table of other EBU member countries, who have never wanted to participate:

Country Member station description
EuroAlgeria.svg Algeria ENTV, ENRS and

TDA

EuroEgypt.png Egypt ERTU
EuroJordan.png Jordan JRTV
EuroLibia.png Libya LNC
EuroVatican.png Vatican City RV Due to the nature of the country and the fact that the station only broadcasts religious material in Latin. It is highly unlikely to ever participate.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ VRT and RTBF alternate responsibilities for the contest.
  2. ^ The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia competed as "Yugoslavia" in 1992.
  3. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has been recognised as an independent state by 108 out of 193 United Nations member states.
  4. ^ RTR and C1R alternate responsibilities for the contest since 2008.

References[edit]

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Bibliography[edit]

  • O'Connor, John Kennedy (2005). The Eurovision Song Contest 50 Years The Official History. London: Carlton Books Limited. ISBN 1-84442-586-X.