Tel Aviv 2019

EBU releases official statement regarding vote for full membership of Kosovo’s RTK

The EBU issued the following statement to ESCXTRA.com

Over the weekend, Kosovar broadcaster RTK revealed that the EBU is to vote on whether to give the broadcaster full membership to the European Broadcasting Union. The decision comes after the EBU General Assembly taking place in the Albanian capital city of Tirana last week. RTK announced that this vote would take place in December. ESCXTRA.com has reached out to the EBU for further clarification and they have given us a statement.


Official EBU statement

Following the reports, ESCXTRA.com contacted the EBU communications team to ask exactly how this proposed vote would work. Would it be a simple majority vote including all EBU members? Perhaps it would need to be a unanimous verdict? The EBU issued us the following statement to answer our queries:

RTK currently does not meet the criteria for full EBU membership but it was agreed at the EBU General Assembly in Tirana (June 29) that constructive discussions will continue between the EBU and RTK about future possibilities for closer co-operation.

No mention of a vote

Despite our clear mention of the proposed vote in our question to the EBU, they have not made any reference to such a vote taking place in December or at anytime. Instead, they reiterate previous statements explaining that RTK does not meet the current criteria for full EBU membership.
Nevertheless, the EBU confirms that the subject was brought up at the EBU General Assembly in Tirana. As a result, it was agreed that “constructive discussions” will continue to take place between the EBU and RTK for “closer co-operation” between the two organisations. Does this hint at Kosovar Eurovision participation without the need for full EBU membership? Possibly, but it’s a stretch at this point.
It may be that the vote will indeed take place in December, but the EBU are keeping the workings of any such vote close to their chests. The majority of Eurovision participating nations do recognise Kosovo as an independent nation although 2019 hosts Israel do not. If the vote involves each EBU member then a simple majority vote may go in Kosovo’s favour. If the vote must be a unanimous verdict, or is undertaken in a different way, then it may still be a struggle for RTK.
Currently the Statutes of the European Broadcasting Union state the following in regards to approval of new members:

3.21.  The General Assembly shall admit an applicant as a Member if, after a recommendation from the Executive Board, it decides by an absolute majority that the candidate fulfils all the membership conditions.


What do you make of the official statement the EBU gave to us? Do you think it bodes well for future participation of Kosovo at the Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know in the comments below!

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