Eurovision Debate | |
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Also known as | Eurovision Presidential Debate European Commission Presidential Debate |
Genre | Topical debate |
Directed by | Rob Hopkin (2014) |
Starring | Candidates for the Presidency of the European Commission |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 3 editions |
Production | |
Production locations | Espace Léopold, Brussels, Belgium |
Running time | ~90 minutes |
Production company | European Broadcasting Union |
Original release | |
Release | 15 May 2014 – 23 May 2024 |
The Eurovision Debate is a live televised debate between the lead political candidates ("Spitzenkandidaten") running to be the next President of the European Commission. Produced by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and broadcast across Europe via the Eurovision network, the debate is hosted by the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. The aim of the debate is to help public service media play their role in the democratic process by helping to better inform citizens and encouraging participation in the elections.
The first Eurovision Debate took place on 15 May 2014 and was the first-ever live televised format to bring democratic political debate to a pan-European level. [1] [2] Italian journalist and Director of the Rai News24 Monica Maggioni moderated the debate with RTÉ's Conor McNally as its social media co-presenter. [3] The Eurovision Debate is produced by the EBU under the guidance and the supervision of senior editors from European Public Service Media (the "Editorial Board") and was directed by Rob Hopkin. [4]
The 2019 edition was broadcast live from the European Parliament in Brussels on 15 May 2019 at 21:00 CET, moderated by TV anchors Markus Preiss (ARD/WDR), Émilie Tran Nguyen (France Télévisions) and Annastiina Heikkilä (Yle) [5] and broadcast by the EBU's public service media members and others throughout Europe. During the 90-minute debate, the following issues were addressed: migration, unemployment, security and climate change, and the role of Europe in the world. In fact, the debate was more about the common minimum wage, the European business tax, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the border control associated with solidarity, and the use of trade to improve working conditions in Europe. [6]
In the lead up to the EU Elections in June 2024, the Eurovision Debate was held at the European Parliament building in Brussels on 23 May 2024. The debate commenced at 15:00 CET, with Martin Řezníček (Czech TV, Czechia) and Annelies Beck (VRT, Belgium) moderating the debate between the five candidates. The topics chosen for the debate were Economy and Jobs, Defence and Security, Climate and Environment, Democracy and Leadership, Migration and Borders, and Innovation and Technology. In a first, the Eurovision Debate introduced ‘spotlight’ segments where each candidate faced 1:1 questioning by the moderators. The position of candidates on set and the speaking orders for each topic and spotlight interviews were decided through an allocation draw on 16 May. In the 2024 edition of the debate, the EBU also provided viewers an opportunity to submit questions to the candidates using the hashtag #EurovisionDebate. Questions were also asked by the audience in the plenary chamber and by viewers watching from events organised by the Parliament’s Liaison Offices in EU member states.
The debate is presented by 2 television anchor personalities from public service media organisations who ask the candidates on stage a series of questions on pre-determined themes, although the questions themselves are not known in advance. The debate obeys strict rules of transparency and neutrality and all candidates are allocated the same speaking time. Interpretation is provided in all official languages of the EU, and the International Sign Language.
The order in which the candidates take the floor is decided by a draw which happens shortly before the debate itself. The Eurovision Debate also uses social media to spark debate among citizens throughout Europe around issues that are topical for the European Parliament elections. In 2019, a third anchor person monitored the exchanges online and reported to the journalists on stage so that the social media dimension was taken into account during the discussions. This element was dropped for the 2024 debate given the direct involvement of voters in the audience and from the live events around the EU.
In 2024 a draw was held on May 16th to determine the order of the candidates on stage, the order that the candidates would answer the question in each topic segment and the order in which the candidates would join the Spotlight interview section. [7]
The speaking order and the placing of the lead candidates were decided at the allocation draw held on 4 April [8]
The lead candidates who took part in the 2024 debate (order on stage) [9]
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and Identity and Democracy (ID) did not nominate lead candidates for the Presidency of the European Commission and were therefore not eligible to take part in the 2024 Eurovision Debate. [7]
The debate is broadcast in more than 27 countries on TV and Radio and can be viewed online on the EBU’s website. [10] For the 2019 edition, the following channels and broadcasters aired the debate: [11]
Country | Broadcaster(s) |
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![]() | İTV |
![]() | VRT |
RTBF | |
![]() | BNT |
![]() | HRT |
![]() | ČT |
![]() | DRTV |
![]() | ERR |
![]() | France Info |
Arte | |
Public Sénat | |
TV5Monde | |
![]() | Yle |
![]() | GPB |
![]() | Phoenix |
![]() | ERT |
![]() | RTÉ News Now |
![]() | Rai News 24 |
![]() | NPO |
![]() | TVP |
PR | |
![]() | TVR |
![]() | RTVE Canal 24h |
TvG2 | |
Canal Sur 2 | |
![]() | SVT |
![]() | BBC Parliament |
![]() | Kingston TV |
The European Broadcasting Union is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Council of Europe. As of 2024, it is made up of 123 member organisations from 56 countries, and 31 associate members from a further 20 countries. It was established in 1950, and has its administrative headquarters in Geneva.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the first edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio svizzera italiana (RSI) on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. The contest, originally titled the Gran premio Eurovisione 1956 della canzone europea, was held on 24 May 1956 at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland, and hosted by Swiss television presenter Lohengrin Filipello, which remains the only time that the contest has been hosted by a solo male presenter.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1957 was the second edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) on behalf of ARD, the contest, originally known as the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1957 was held on Sunday 3 March 1957 and was hosted at the Großer Sendesaal des hessischen Rundfunks in Frankfurt, West Germany by German actress Anaid Iplicjian.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1958 was the third edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), the contest, originally known as the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1958 was held on Wednesday 12 March 1958 at the AVRO Studios in Hilversum, the Netherlands and hosted by Dutch television presenter Hannie Lips. This marked the first time that the contest was hosted in the country of the preceding year's winner, a tradition that has been continued ever since.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the 48th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Riga, Latvia, following the country's victory at the 2002 contest with the song "I Wanna" by Marie N. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV), the contest was held at the Skonto Hall on 24 May 2003. The contest was presented by last year's winner Marie N and former contestant Renārs Kaupers.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1995 was the 40th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 13 May 1995 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), and presented by Mary Kennedy, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1994 contest with the song "Rock 'n' Roll Kids" by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan. It was the third consecutive contest to be held in Ireland – the first and only time in the history of the event that a country has hosted three editions in a row – and the second consecutive edition to be held in the Point Theatre in Dublin.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1994 was the 39th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 30 April 1994 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), and presented by Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Gerry Ryan, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1993 contest with the song "In Your Eyes" by Niamh Kavanagh. It was the first time that any country had hosted two successive editions of the contest, following the previous year's contest held in Millstreet.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1993 was the 38th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 15 May 1993 at the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), and presented by Fionnuala Sweeney, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1992 contest with the song "Why Me?" performed by Linda Martin.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1987 was the 32nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Brussels, Belgium, following the country's victory at the 1986 contest with the song "J'aime la vie" by Sandra Kim. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF), the contest was held at the Centenary Palace on 9 May 1987 and hosted by French-Belgian singer Viktor Lazlo.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 4 May 1985 in the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), it was presented by Lill Lindfors. The contest was held in Sweden following the country's victory at the 1984 contest with the song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" by Herreys. Nineteen countries participated in the contest; Greece and Israel returned after a one-year absence, while the Netherlands and Yugoslavia, which had participated in the previous year's event, declined to enter due to separate memorial events in those countries coinciding with the date of the contest.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1988 was the 33rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 30 April 1988 in the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion in Dublin, Ireland and presented by Pat Kenny and Michelle Rocca. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1987 contest with the song "Hold Me Now" by Johnny Logan.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1984 was the 29th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 5 May 1984 in the Théâtre Municipal in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Télévision Luxembourg (RTL), the contest was held in Luxembourg following the country's victory at the 1983 contest with the song "Si la vie est cadeau" by Corinne Hermès. The event was presented by Désirée Nosbusch, who, at 19 years old, remains the youngest person to have hosted the contest as of 2024.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 18 May 1996 at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) and presented by Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket, the contest was held in Norway following the country's victory at the 1995 contest with the song "Nocturne" by Secret Garden.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997 was the 42nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, held on 3 May 1997 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) and presented by Carrie Crowley and Ronan Keating, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1996 contest with the song "The Voice" by Eimear Quinn. The 1997 contest was the seventh – and to date last – edition to be staged in Ireland, as well as the fourth to be produced by RTÉ in five years. The Point Theatre served as the host venue for the third time, following the 1994 and 1995 contests, becoming the only venue to have been the site of three Eurovision Song Contests.
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Eurovision Choir of the Year 2017 was the first Eurovision Choir competition for choral singers, which was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Interkultur. It was held on 22 July 2017, at the Arena Riga, in the Latvian capital, Riga. The event was produced by Latvian host broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) and the Riga Tourism Development Bureau.
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Latvia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with "Aijā" performed by Sudden Lights. The Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) organised the national final Supernova2023 in order to select the Latvian entry for the contest. 14 songs were selected to compete in the national final, which consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final. In the semi-final on 4 February 2023, ten entries were selected to advance to compete in the final on 11 February 2023 where a public televote and an eight-member jury panel selected "Aijā" performed by Sudden Lights as the winner.
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