Mr Freiling, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is supposed to be a non-political event, but in which very different countries compete against each other. It can only be political.
Peter-Philipp Schmitt
Editor in the "Germany and the World" department.
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We make a very clear distinction between on stage and backstage. On stage, the principle applies: no statements, no making common sense with a political topic or a political matter. Behind the scenes, it is often applied politics, because every host country, every broadcaster has its own agenda and tries to implement it.
The ESC cannot take place in Ukraine, which is already a political decision. The motto is: "United by Music". But only those who are on the side of Ukraine are united in Liverpool. That, too, is political. Especially when the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) says at the same time that the ESC should overcome all borders and ideologies.
It was a decision by the EBU at the very beginning of the war to suspend the memberships of Belarus and Russia. This was not only about the ESC, but also about the exchange of information within the Broadcasting Union. That's what we followed as ESC. However, with the new "Rest of the World" category, we have deliberately included all those who do not belong to the participating countries. In doing so, we are also opening up to Turkey, which I would like to bring back to the ESC, North America, Asia and, if you like, Russia. Voting was also allowed there. This category allows everyone to participate in the ESC, according to the motto "United by Music".
The votes come into a pot and are counted like a country that participates?
Exactly.
After the annexation of Crimea in 2014 in violation of international law, Russia continued to be invited. The artists from Russia were booed. After the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia was expelled, after a short hesitation, because the country brought the Song Contest into disrepute. But hasn't Russia already done this before with the invasion of Ukraine or with the brutal crackdown on opposition members and the free press in its own country?
Special rules apply to the ESC only for the host country. Otherwise, it is not the countries that are members, but the broadcasters. The criticism you make of Russia in terms of press freedom affects at least half a dozen other countries within the EBU. Their state doctrines are not compatible with our values, which we as ESC can only apply and demand from the host country. In the form of a government declaration that must guarantee all freedoms, all accesses, without any limitations or exclusions.
This was also true for Azerbaijan, which hosted the ESC in 2012?
Yes. And that has led to a short-term opening of the country domestically. It is important to know that the Azeris saw this as a test run for their later Olympic bid. They tried to show that Azerbaijan is a cosmopolitan and liberal country. In doing so, they underestimated how many critical questions 1500 journalists can ask, for example on the forced resettlement of residents for the construction of the ESC Arena or on the exclusion and persecution of opposition members. The government had to learn quickly how powerful free media are when you invite them into your country.