Like other broadcasters, RTV SLO reacted to today’s EBU vote by confirming their non-participation from next year’s Contest in Vienna.
Slovenia’s withdrawal confirmed
The decision came after a vote at the General Assembly on the EBU, with broadcasters asked whether the new rules presented by the Eurovision Reference Group were sufficient to safeguard the 2026 Contest. A vote in favour meant that there would be not vote on actual Eurovision participation (the idea being that the new rules would allow anyone to participate with no worries on an undue influence on the results).
The motion passed, although eleven broadcasters voted against it and five abstained. As a result, and as they had announced earlier, RTV SLO will not participate in Eurovision, with their representative in Geneva, Natalija Gorščak, criticizing the method of a binding vote between the new rules and Israel’s participation.
The question was very cleverly raised and probably deceived many who wanted to vote on it. […] Slovenia will certainly not participate. The Spanish, Dutch and Irish [broadcasters] will certainly not participate either.
Natalija Gorščak, President of the Management Board of RTV Slovenia
Gorščak’s strong address to the General Assmebly
Ahead of the vote, she clearly criticized Israel’s participation and the politicization of Eurovision, considering that Jamala’s victory in 2016 had opened “Pandora’s Box” by allowing a political song to take part and to win. She stated that Israel’s song in 2025, “New Day Will Rise”, was political, and should have been treated as such and rejected, comparing it to Russia’s attempted participation in Eurovision 2017.
She also recognized the difficult situation in which Israel’s broadcaster, KAN, found itself, as a public service broadcaster under government pressure, stating “We are all in a trap. We are hostages to the political interests of the Israeli government.“
For the third year in a row, the public is demanding that we say no to the cooperation of any country that is attacking another country. We must follow European standards of peace and understanding. From the very beginning, Eurovision was a place for joy and happiness, the performers and the audience were united by music, and it should have remained so.
Natalija Gorščak, President of the Management Board of RTV Slovenia, in her address to the EBU gENERAL aSSEMBLY
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Our message is this: we will not participate in the ESC if Israel is there. On behalf of 20 thousand children who died in Gaza.
RTV SLO will thus join RTVE (Spain), RTÉ (Ireland) and AVROTROS (Netherlands) in withdrawing from the Contest, with other broadcasters possibly joining them in the coming days.
How do you feel about RTV SLO’s decision? Tell us more in the comments below, but remember to remain civil.
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