Ahead of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, two new members have been elected to the Reference Group for the Contest. These are the Heads of Delegation for Croatia and Armenia – Tomislav Štengl and David Tserunyan.
New members add eastern perspective
No specific announcement was made by the EBU regarding the election of Tomislav and David to their positions. As a result, the full Reference Group is now made up of:
- Ana María Bordas (RTVE) – Reference Group chairperson
- Ebba Adielsson (SVT)
- Moritz Stadler (SRG SSR)
- Carla Bugalho (RTP)
- Molly Plank (DR)
- Claudia van der Pas (AVROTROS)
- Tomislav Štengl (HRT)
- David Tserunyan (AMPTV)
Due to their elections, the Reference Group now includes representation from countries in both Central and Eastern Europe. Following their appointments ahead of the 2025 Contest, there had been no inclusion of ex-Yugoslav and ex-Soviet member broadcasters.
The Reference Group plays a key role in what happens to Eurovision. The Reference Group is in charge of securing the funding needed to put on the Contest, as well as developing the format to improve it for future editions. On top of this, the committee decides how Eurovision’s brand is modernised each year, and works closely with each host broadcaster to help them put on the show.
Who are Tomislav Štengl and David Tserunyan?
Tomislav Štengl is currently the Head of Delegation for Croatia. He took up the role in 2017 and 2018, before being reinstated into the job in 2022. Since then, Tomislav has brought Croatia into the final on two separate occasions, including in 2024, when they finished in second place. He is also working as HRT’s Head of Delegation for Junior Eurovision in 2025 after Croatia confirmed it would be returning.
David Tserunyan serves as the Head of Delegation for Armenia, having taken up the position in 2019. During his tenure, he has seen mixed results for Armenia, with the highest place coming in 2024 when Ladaniva finished 8th. However, in Junior Eurovision, AMPTV has been far more successful, winning the Contest in 2021. David co-wrote “Qami Qami” with Maléna, and oversaw the subsequent hosting of the competition in Yerevan in 2022.
The journey to Eurovision 2026
The journey to the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off immediately following JJ’s win in Basel, when Austria’s ORF accepted the rights to host the 70th edition of the contest. Cities across Austria have already begun discussing their thoughts on hosting or not. With ORF announcing that it’s now a two horse race between Innsbruck, and Vienna.
The cities that have ruled out hosting:
What do you think of the new members elected to the Reference Group? Do you think Tomislav and David will steer the group in a different way? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: EBU
Photo Credit: Luka Stanzl / Pixsell / David Tserunyan