Political Pressure on Eurovision: In a politically charged atmosphere, during a heated discussion at the Slovenian’s council, it was decided to demand that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) prevent Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2025. What are the implications? All the details here!
Following a tense and sharp debate, the management of the Slovenian National Broadcaster, RTVSLO, is demanding that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) exclude Israel from the Eurovision competition scheduled to take place in Basel, Switzerland, in 2025. Slovenia’s anti-Israel policy made headlines last year when, a week after the grand final held in Malmö, Sweden, Slovenia published a document of questions directed to the EBU, most of which pertained to or were related to Israel’s participation in the Eurovision song contest.
The Slovenian National Broadcaster, RTVSLO, ignited an international media storm when it officially demanded that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) prevent Israel’s participation in the upcoming Eurovision contest. During the management council meeting of RTVSLO held between December 9th-11th, 2024, a clear decision was made to initiate a request with the EBU to exclude Israel from the competition. Concurrently, three main proposals were laid out concerning how RTVSLO should respond if the EBU does not reject their demand:
- In the event of Israel’s participation, Slovenia will not participate and will not broadcast the event.
- In the event of Israel’s participation, the network will blackout Israel’s performance.
- The management of RTVSLO and the Slovenian public should be updated on these efforts (there is no operational decision at this stage).
At the end of a heated and tense discussion, the council decided to adopt proposal number three, which maintains Slovenia’s anti-Israel policy but keeps ambiguity regarding RTVSLO’s course of action if the EBU rejects Slovenia’s request.
It is noteworthy that if proposal number two had been accepted, it would have been a violation of contest rules and could have resulted in a heavy fine or even disqualification from the competition—an event reminiscent of Eurovision 2009 when Azerbaijan obscured Armenia’s voting number and effectively prevented voting for Armenia. A similar incident occurred in 2005 when Lebanon was unwilling to broadcast Israel’s performance due to national laws prohibiting broadcasting Israeli content on Lebanese television networks. Because Lebanon did not agree to comply with EBU rules requiring live and equal broadcasting for all participants, they chose to withdraw their candidacy and ultimately did not participate in the contest. In addition, Lebanon received a three-year suspension from the contest.
EBU’s Response
The European Broadcasting Union has not yet directly responded to Slovenia’s demand but has published a list of 38 countries that will participate in the upcoming contest—including Israel. The union emphasized its commitment to keeping the contest as a musical arena detached from politics. “Our goal is to provide a positive experience for all participants,” stated an official announcement. According to estimates, the EBU is unlikely to exclude Israel from the contest due to Slovenia’s demand; any official response will be published in full once received.
Anti-Israel Policy in Slovenia
Slovenia’s anti-Israel policy is not new on the diplomatic stage and is evident in several steps and statements by Slovenian governmental bodies and organizations over the years, especially under leadership associated with radical left-wing positions. In 2024, Slovenia was one of the prominent European countries that officially recognized Palestine as an independent state, along with Spain, Ireland, and Norway. This recognition is seen by many as a political move aimed at expressing support for the Palestinian side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The then Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned this move, stating that the decision rewards Hamas for its acts of murder and rape during the October 7th massacre. The minister added that this move also strengthens Iran and harms the close friendship between Israel and Slovenia.
Slovenia has also expressed support for claims made by South Africa against Israel at The Hague International Criminal Court. The support focused on allegations of human rights violations and actions that they claim violate international law. Additionally, Slovenia funds public and academic campaigns calling for boycotts of Israeli products and for severing cultural and commercial ties with Israel. The Slovenian government and local bodies have publicly and sometimes financially supported pro-Palestinian organizations that have worked to promote boycotts against Israel and express public criticism of its policies.
Slovenia has often utilized platforms within the European Union to promote critical stances towards Israel, particularly regarding human rights issues and conflicts in the Middle East. This policy manifests itself in resolution proposals within the European Parliament and discussions at the UN Human Rights Council.
The Slovenian demand to exclude Israel from Eurovision 2025 underscores politics’ growing influence on the contest. While the EBU continues to attempt to maintain a seemingly neutral musical arena, it appears that political events are transcending musical boundaries. The big question remains whether Eurovision can continue as a unifying format or if politicization will dictate its future.
Slovenia in Eurovision 2024:
“Veronika” is the name of the song performed by Raiven, who was chosen to represent Slovenia through an internal selection by the national broadcaster. Slovenia advanced to the final after placing ninth in the first semi-final with 51 points, and in the grand final, they finished 23rd with 27 points.
This is the second consecutive time Slovenia has qualified for the final, matching their qualification streaks in 2014-2015 and 2018-2019. However, this is Slovenia’s lowest placement in a final since Eurovision 2014.
Source: Evrovizija.com
Eurovision 2025: This will be Slovenia’s 30th participation in Eurovision. Slovenia joined the competition in 1993 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 1995 and Eurovision 2001 after finishing seventh twice.
