Finland’s national broadcaster, Yle, has outlined the conditions needed to allow it continue its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. It comes as the crucial General Assembly gets underway in Geneva today (December 4th).
Conditions in response to “right direction” proposals
In a press release, Yle released four major conditions that it demands in order to guarantee future participation. It added that the overhaul of the voting rules proposed by the EBU last month are going in the “right direction”. However, efforts are needed to ensure that the Contest remains sustainable, with little increase to the cost of participation.
Yle’s CEO Marit af Björkesten said:
Eurovision’s original purpose has been to create a space where we can meet despite differences and disagreements. For this to be possible in the future as well, the union and members must ensure that the competition is not used for political influence.
The four conditions set out for Finland’s continued participation are:
- The EBU must implement the proposals it made to the competition rules, and continually monitors their compliance, before evaluating how effective these changes are.
- All participants’ safety must be ensured, as well as the audience.
- The size of the Contest must be similar to today’s numbers, and will continue to have a large impact on the community.
- Participation costs should not skyrocket if countries withdraw.
Finland’s Eurovision journey
Finland debuted in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 10th with Laila Kunnunen’s “Valoa ikkunassa.” Since then they have competed 56 times, and appeared in the final 48 times. Finland has finished in the top 10 an impressive 14 times. They have won the contest once in 2006, with Lordi’s performance of “Hard Rock Hallelujah” getting 292 points.
Finland’s most recent entry was “ICH KOMME” by Erika Vikman. Competing in the second semi-final, Erika qualified for the final, and would eventually finish in 11th place with 196 points. Of these, 108 came from the televote, while the jury awarded her 88 points.
What do you think about Yle’s conditions to keep participating? Will their demands be met? 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: Yle
Photo Credit: Ilkka Kemppinen / Yle
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