Andorra Return to Eurovision Relies on Government Support

The national television broadcaster of Andorra, RTVA, has said that a return to the Eurovision Song Contest is possible, however, only with the support of the Andorran government.

Andorra to Return to Eurovision?

Speaking to Spanish website, Eurovision-Spain.com, RTVA stated that any future return is dependent on the government giving “real priority” to the contest. Furthermore, it said there is a need for a commitment towards the Principality of Andorra and the continued promotion of the Catalan language and culture.

Andorra’s Withdrawal

During the financial crisis in 2010, Andorra withdrew indefinitely from Eurovision, citing economic and political reasons. The broadcaster was struggling to keep up with mounting debt and had to restructure its television and radio service. This operation saw RTVA lose 15% of its workforce. The 2009 contest was its sixth and final appearance in the world’s biggest music competition. RTVA’s statement revealed that the broadcaster was spending around €300,000 per year on Eurovision. Although appetite for Eurovision still exists, huge expense and a poor qualification record makes it difficult to justify continued participation.

RTVA and TV3

2004 saw the debut of Andorra at the Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul, Turkey. At that time, RTVA collaborated with the Catalan regional broadcaster, TV3, and created a national final selection process to find its Eurovision entry. Despite “very good memories” of the experience, RTVA and TV3 have both ruled out another co-production, yet again citing financial reasons.

The Future

To this day, RTVA still maintains its membership of the EBU. As well as other non-Eurovision related benefits, membership allows RTVA to access “know-how, networking, training from the Eurovision Academy, and participation as a Eurovision member if it contributes to the Eurovision News Exchange and Eurovision sports acquisition.” In short, for some fans there may be a glimmer of hope for a Eurovision return for the Principality of Andorra.

Andorra at Eurovision

Andorra is the only participating country to have never competed in the Grand Final at the Eurovision Song Contest. The country last entered in 2009 with Susanne Georgi singing “La teva decisió” (Get a Life). It came 15th in the Semi Final with 8 points.
Would you like to see Andorra return to the Eurovision stage? What do you think is the way forward for Europe’s microstates at Eurovision? Finally, can and the smaller nations afford to keep sending entries every year? Let us know; we’re keen to hear from the fans.