TMC, the Monegasque national broadcaster, has confirmed to ESCToday that Monaco will not participate at the forthcoming 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Israel.

Thus Monaco joins Andorra, Luxembourg, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovakia and Turkey all whom have confirmed their non return to the competition next year in Israel.

TMC withdrew from the competition in 2007 and has not returned since. The Monegasque broadcaster told ESCToday that Monaco had no plans to return to the competition in the near future.

Monaco in Eurovision

Monaco debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959 and has partaken in the contest 24 times. The tiny principality has won the competition once, namely in 1971 when Severine was crowned the winner in Dublin with her entry Un banc, un arbre, une rue.

The country withdrew from the competition in 1980 and did not return to the the contest until 2004 when the semifinal system was introduced in the Eurovision Song Contest. The micro state continued participating in 2005 and 2006. The country failed to qualify to the grand final on all 3 occasions and decided to withdraw again from Europe’s favorite television show in 2007.

The last time  we saw Monaco on the Eurovision stage in 2006 when Severine Ferrer  defended the Monegasque colours with La coco dance.