Eurovision Song Contest 2018 skal ud af den politiske skygge, som har hvilet over årets event. Det må være konklusionen på den række regelændringer, som EBU ifølge den tyske tv-station ARD har fastlagt forud for næste års konkurrence.
Eurovision er et “non-political event”
I de nye regler specificeres det, at Eurovision er et “non-political event” og at både værtsnation og alle øvrige deltagere skal være med til at sikre dette. Brud på reglen kan resultere i diskvalifikation.
1.5 NON-POLITICAL EVENT
The ESC is a non-political event and all Participating Broadcasters, including the Host Broadcaster, shall ensure that all necessary steps are undertaken within in their respective Delegations and teams in order to make sure that no organization, institution, political cause or other cause, company, brand, product or service shall be promoted or mentioned during the Event. No messages promoting any organization, institution, political cause or other, company, brand, products or services shall be allowed in the Shows and within any official ESC
premises (i.e. at the venue, during the Opening Ceremony, the Eurovision village, the Press Centre, etc.). A breach of this rule may result in disqualification
Ingen forhold, som kan udløse indrejseforbud
EBU tager endvidere bevidste skridt for at undgå en gentagelse af årets kontroversielle udelukkelse af Ruslands deltager, hvor Julia Samoylova pga. en overtrædelse af ukrainsk lovgivning havde indrejseforbud i Ukraine. I de nye regler står det ordret at hverken deltagere eller medlemmer af delegationen må have en forhistorie, der kan udløse et indrejseforbud i forhold til værtsnationens nationale love.
2.2) PARTICIPATING BROADCASTERS’ COMMITMENTS
2.2.2) UNDERTAKINGS
e) undertakes to enter a national song and an artist in compliance with the present Rules and to organize a national selection process as it deems fit and under its sole responsibility; in particular, no selected artist nor any member of the Delegation shall have any antecedents likely to prompt the Host Country’s national authorities to deny them access to the Host Country in accordance with applicable national law;
Værtsnationen skal respektere deadlines og sikre deltageres indrejse
Ligesom deltagerne ifølge reglerne ikke må have forhold, som kan udløse indrejseforbud, så skal værtsnationen ligeledes sikre at alle deltagere kan optræde på scenen i alle shows og prøver. Værtsnationen skal, som det fremgår herunder, gøre sit yderste for sikre eventets ikke-politiske karakter.
De væsentlige forsinkelser, som karakteriserede årets forberedelser, vil EBU ligeledes undgå for fremtiden. I de nye regler specificeres det, at værtsnationens tv-station til enhver tid skal respektere alle deadlines aftalt med EBU. I modsat fald kan EBU overdrage produktionen og organiseringen af eventet til et andet medlemsland.
Annexe: 1 DUTIES OF THE HOST BROADCASTER
(l)The Host Broadcaster shall respect at all times the deadlines agreed upon with the EBU for the proper, timely and smooth implementation of the ESC and it shall comply with EBU instructions. Non respect thereof shall constitute a breach of the Host Broadcaster Agreement enabling the EBU to unilaterally terminate the Host Broadcaster Agreement and enstrust another Member with the production and organisation of the ESC.(m) The Host Broadcaster shall ensure that all the contestants selected by the Participating Broadcasters are able to perform in person live on stage in the Shows (including in all the rehearsals and in the Dress Rehearsals). The Host Broadcaster shall do its utmost to safeguard the non-political character of the Event.
Skærpede regler for nationale juryer
EBU’s nye regler imødekommer også problemerne omkring mistanker om manglende objektivitet hos juryen. I år (igen) gav jurymedlemmer i Armenien og Azerbaijan konsekvent hinanden en sidsteplads (se screenshots herunder). Ifølge de nye regler fremhæves det, at jurymedlemmerne skal stemme fuldstændigt uafhængigt, upartisk, retfærdigt, objektivt og gøre brug af alle deres faglige kompetencer og erfaring uden at favorisere nogle deltagere på grund af deres nationalitet, køn eller lignende.
1.3) NATIONAL JURIES
1.3.1) COMPOSITION
…
Participating Broadcasters shall verify and ensure that no member of its National Jury is connected in any way with any of the participating songs entered and/or artists performing in the ESC in such a way that they may be prevented from voting in complete independence, impartiality, fairness, objectiveness and using all their professional skill and experience without favouring any contestant on the account of their nationality, gender or likeliness. In addition, Participating Broadcasters shall ensure that no member of its National Jury discloses, uses and/or shares information with any third party, including other jury members, his/her voting intentions at any time before and/or during the Event. Filming and transmission in any manner whatsoever of the voting sessions is strictly prohibited.
Udover de overstående regelændringer, så er der også nye regler omkring sociale medier. Du kan læse det komplette regelsæt (ændring) her.