The cost for participating in the competition varies depending on the size of the country and is paid by the broadcasters.
Due to its invasion of Ukraine, Russia, a significant financial contributor, was banned from this year’s competition.
The public service broadcaster in Montenegro stated: “In addition to the substantial costs of registration fees, as well as the cost of lodging in Great Britain, we also faced a lack of interest from sponsors, so we decided to direct existing resources to the financing of current and planned national projects.”
The two broadcasters, RTCG and MRT, who withdrew, did not get past the semifinals of this year’s competition in Turin, Italy.
In a statement, MRT said that “the higher registration fee for the participation” and the energy crisis in North Macedonia were the driving forces behind their choice.
The EBU, who oversees the song contests, stated that they are “dedicated to making the costs of participating as low as possible” and that their fees are “determined based on the number of countries competing” while “taking into account [each member’s] relative size and financial situation.”
It’s anticipated that Merseyside will welcome a whole list of nations in 2023 later this week.
