Slovenian public broadcaster RTV Slovenia has raised serious concerns with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) regarding Israel’s continued participation in EBU events especially the Eurovision Song Contest and is considering future participation if no concrete action is taken.
In a letter addressed to the EBU’s Executive Board, Ksenija Horvat, Director of Slovenian Television, expressed “serious and growing concern” over Israel’s involvement in the contest, citing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and rising public discontent across Europe, including Slovenia.
“Unfortunately, the response we received last year lacked convincing or concrete explanations and did not reflect the urgency and seriousness of the issue,” Horvat stated.
She added that public mistrust has intensified following this year’s Eurovision voting results, particularly due to suspicions of political influence and lack of transparency in the voting process.
Horvat emphasized the duty of public broadcasters to provide accurate and verifiable information, and she committed to formally requesting detailed data comparing televotes with online votes, aiming to restore public trust in the integrity of Eurovision’s voting system.
This comes after public broadcasters from Belgium and Spain also called for greater voting transparency, questioning whether Eurovision can still claim to be apolitical and unifying.
If the EBU fails to address these concerns meaningfully, Slovenia may withdraw from future Eurovision contests.
