Which Countries Are Not Competing in Eurovision 2019?

Hello everyone and welcome to another Eurovision article on The Blogging DJ. In just over two weeks time, the competition to win Europe’s biggest-watched music competition will begin. Representatives from forty-one countries are taking part, however there are some who have competed in the past but haven’t done so this year. We have already discussed why Ukraine have pulled out this year (you can read about it here). Here are the other countries who aren’t competing and the reasons why.

Andorra

Entries: 6 (0 finals)

Last Appearance: 2009

Record in the Contest: They are the only country, as of 2019, who have competed in Eurovision but never performed in the Grand Final. Their best finish came in 2007, where they finished twelfth in the twenty-eight strong semi-final with Anonymous and “Salvem el món”. If that result was in any of the more recent years, they probably would have qualified.

Will They Return? Unlikely. The Andorran broadcaster pulled out of the 2010 contest on financial grounds and haven’t confirmed any interest in the contest since. They also considered leaving the EBU due to costs in 2011.

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Entries: 19 (18 finals)

Last Appearance: 2016

Record in the Contest: Solid, especially with the introduction of the semi-finals. They qualified for the Grand Final on every year they competed in the contest, except for their last appearance in 2016. Their best result came in 2006, where Hari Mata Hari finished in third place with “Lejla”.

Will They Return? As soon as they can find the funds. The head of the Bosnian delegation confirmed that returning to the contest was one of the broadcaster’s main aims in an interview in December 2018. The financial situation is the delegation’s biggest obstacle at the moment, being forced to withdraw between 2013-15 and 2017-18 for these reasons.

Bulgaria

Entries: 12 (4 finals)

Last Appearance: 2018

Record in the Contest: Surprisingly terrible if you discount the three year period of success between 2016 and 2018. Before that, they only qualified for the Grand Final once in nine years (2007; fifth overall). Recently they have had much better results. In 2016 Poli Genova brought the country home in fourth place, before Kristian Kostov got their best ever result in 2017, with “Beautiful Mess” finishing in the runner-up spot behind Portugal. Last year, super group Equinox reached the Grand Final again, finishing in fourteenth place overall.

Will They Return? Again, very likely once they sort out their financial difficulties. This was given as the reason for their 2014 withdrawal so considering the very good recent run, the broadcaster would want to return as soon as possible.

Luxembourg

Entries: 37 (37 finals)

Last Appearance: 1993

Record in the Contest: They hold a very impressive record in the years they competed in the contest, considering the size of the country (they took singers from France on occasion). Winning five times, the first in 1961 and then again in 1965, 1972, 1973 and finally 1983, they are joint third on the overall table. In the latter years of their representation they struggled to reach the same giddy heights.

Will They Return? Unlikely but you never know. The broadcaster withdrew after being relegated from the contest in 1994 and has yet to return. There have been several occasions where there were calls for the country to return, only for a lack of finance and interest from the broadcaster to get in the way. However, I think that if these were sorted, then Luxembourg could return to Eurovision one day.

Monaco

Entries: 24 (21 finals)

Last Appearance: 2006

Record in the Contest: Mixed, depending on what period of their participation you look at. In their first stint, between 1959 and 1979, they won the contest once, with Séverine in 1971, as well as a second place and two third places. However, their brief return to Eurovision between 2004 and 2006 was a disappointment, with all three acts finishing way down the leaderboard in their semi-finals.

Will They Return? Very unlikely. After withdrawing for the second time, officials have stated that the contest is more about the show than the music and that voting blocs make it almost impossible for a microstate to qualify for the Grand Final, let alone do well.

Morocco

Entries: 1 (1 final)

Last Appearance: 1980

Record in the Contest: They have only taken part once in the contest and finished in second-to-last place. As a result King Hassan II vowed to never let the country compete again.

Will They Return? Not going to happen. As well as the reason above, Morocco would not broadcast any mention or performance of Israel, which would be against EBU law.

Slovakia

Entries: 7 (3 finals)

Last Appearance: 2012

Record in the Contest: They have struggled every time they have competed in the contest, being relegated on each of the three times they returned in the 90s. They returned between 2009 and 2012, with their best finish thirteenth in the semi-final.

Will They Return? Unlikely, but they may come back one day. The broadcaster stated that it was due to the financial costs of competing in the contest rather than the poor results that led to their withdrawal. However, there is nothing stopping the broadcaster from returning if the costs are lowered.

Turkey

Entries: 34 (33 finals)

Last Appearance: 2012

Record in the Contest: Turkey suffered a mediocre run of results throughout the 80s and 90s. However, the introduction of televotes helping to decide the winner, plus some of their neighbouring countries entering the contest, boosted their fortunes. They won the contest in 2003 and finished second in 2010.

Will They Return? Unless the broadcaster has a serious change in attitude, I don’t think they will be welcome back at the contest for a while. They expressed unhappiness at the re-introduction of a jury vote (as it buffered their high televote scores), as well as the victory of drag queen Conchita Wurst in 2014. If a different broadcaster with a more liberal attitude would take over Turkey’s representation in Eurovision, they may come back.

So what are your thoughts on the countries not competing in Eurovision 2019? Who do you most want to see back? Comment your thoughts in the box below and stay tuned for more Eurovision-themed articles to be released in the next couple of weeks!