The European Broadcasting Union has reiterated that it has “no plans” to invite Kosovo to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.
In a statement given to ESCXTRA, the EBU said “at the present time, there are no plans to invite Kazakhstan or Kosovo to participate”.
Kosovo’s broadcaster RTK is not an associate member or full member of the EBU. This is due to the fact it is also not a member of the International Telecommunication Union. The ITU in turn is only open to member states of the United Nations but Kosovo is not currently a member of the UN.
Last year the EBU general assembly voted on a proposal that would allow non-ITU members to partake in the contest. This would have opened the door for Kosovo to participate however the proposal was not supported by the majority and the country’s hopes were dashed.
In 2018, the EBU said that Kosovo didn’t meet the criteria to join the EBU but that they would be open to “constructive discussions” about future cooperation. But in over two years, no progress appears to have been made.
This hasn’t stopped Kosovar singers from taking part in the contest. In 2012, Rona Nishliu represented Albania as did Lindita Halimi in 2017. Gjon Tears will represent Switzerland in 2021 and has a Kosovar-Albanian father.
