Eurovision 2020 Organizers Lack Sufficient Funds for the Contest

The organizers of Eurovision 2020 still do not have the full amount needed to hold the competition. This is reported by Wiwibloggs, a website covering the international song contest. It is mentioned that the event, set to take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, requires a budget of €26.5 million. Although the organizers, the Dutch public broadcaster, have received funding from various sources, €12.4 million is still needed.

It is also noted that the public broadcaster has approached the government for assistance from the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science. However, the source emphasizes that it is not guaranteed that the government will fund the contest, as earlier, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands stated that public broadcasters would not receive funding without justification and should try to work within their existing budget.

Forty-one countries will participate in Eurovision 2020. The list is now confirmed, including Armenia, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Ukraine and Bulgaria have returned to the competition, while Hungary and Montenegro have decided to withdraw. Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Monaco, Slovakia, and Turkey have confirmed they will not be returning.

Armenia will select its representative through the project “Depi Eurovision 2020”. Participants will present their songs to compete. In an interview with “Haykakan Zhamanak” (Armenian Times), Anushik Ter-Ghukasyan, head of the Armenian delegation for Eurovision, stated that the application process is currently ongoing and will continue until December 31. The broadcast will take place in 2020, though the exact date is still unknown.