RTV SLO, Slovenia’s national broadcaster, is threatening to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest. It comes amid growing calls for the discussion of Israeli participation at the competition.
Threats to withdraw if changes not made
In a post uploaded to its official website, RTV SLO said it had been in contact with the EBU regarding Israeli participation. The broadcaster said it had “growing concerns regarding Israel’s continued participation in EBU events”, reflecting the position of Belgian and Spanish broadcasters.
Last week, RTV SLO reiterated its calls for Israel to be removed from the competition amid the controversy from Basel. It called on the EBU to force KAN to withdraw from the Contest entirely. These calls were first made before the Contest in Malmรถ in 2024. Now, Ksenija Horvat – Director-General at RTV SLO pressed the EBU to find solutions. She said if they were not met, RTV SLO will consider whether to withdraw from next year’s show.
Unfortunately, the response we received did not contain convincing or concrete explanations, nor did it reflect the urgency and seriousness of the issue we are addressing.
During this time, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories has worsened, and public concern – both in Slovenia and throughout Europe – has increased significantly. The results of the televote have further reinforced public distrust.
Horvat went to say the results of the televote were damaging the credibility of the Contest’s voting methods. She added that as a result of the alleged voter manipulation – the apolitical nature of the Contest is being skewed. Later on in her statement, she asked for detailed comparisons between online and phone voting, as it can help to rebuild trust within the voting process.
She added:
As a public media outlet responsible to the public, Television Slovenia is under increasing pressure to respond to such concerns. If the EBU does not take concrete steps and address the issues, we will consider our participation in future Eurovision events.
We will be forced to do so if the EBU continues to fail to address these key issues from both an ethical and public interest perspective.
Horvat finished by calling on the EBU to have an “open, inclusive and urgent discussion” regarding Israeli participation. These discussions should also include members of civil society as well as broadcasters. RTV SLO is now the second broadcaster to threaten to withdraw amid the controversy of Israel’s participation. Previously, Flemish broadcaster VRT said it would be reconsidering its planned participations.
Slovenia’s Eurovision journey
In 1993, Slovenia made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest with 1X Band and the song โTih deลพeven danโ, which placed 22nd. Since their debut, they have participated 28 times – of which, 16 were where they qualified for the Grand Final.
Sloveniaโs recent Eurovision participation saw them being represented by Klemen, who sang “How Much Time Do We Have Leftโ. Performing at the first semi-final, Klemen failed to qualify, placing thirteenth with 23 points from the televote.
What do you think of the threats to withdraw from RTV SLO? Will Slovenia actually pull out of Eurovision 2026? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow โThat Eurovision Siteโ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: RTV SLO
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Euan T