RTCG, the Montenegrin national broadcaster, has confirmed that Montenegro will not compete at the forthcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in the United Kingdom.

Thus Montenegro joins the  list of countries  who have so far confirmed their non participation at the upcoming 2023 Eurovision edition in the UK. Montenegro joins Slovakia, Andorra, Luxembourg all of whom have confirmed that they will not return to the competition next year.

Montenegro has withdrawn from the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest due to financial reasons. The Montenegrin broadcaster has cited the high cost of  the participating fees, expensive accomodation in the UK and the lack of finding a sponsor to fund its participation has led to their withdrawal from the competition. This is not the first time the country has pulled out of the competition having done so in 2020 and 2021.

RTCG has reviewed all available options for participation along with the costs of participation, the available resources and the projected expeses for the coming year and has come to a decision to withdraw from the competition next year.

The Montenegrin national broadcaster has decided to fund current and planned national projects along with organizational and program reforms with the existing funds.

RTCG has released the following statement:

In addition to significant registration costs, as well as the cost of staying in Great Britain, we also faced a lack of sponsor interest, so we decided to direct existing resources to financing current and planned national projects and organizational and program reforms, which entail significant investment in equipment and premise.

Montenegro in Eurovision

Montenegro debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest as a solo country in 2007 with Stefan Faddy and is yet to win the competition. The country achieved its best results in the contest in 2015 with Knez‘s Balkan ballad Adio.

The former Yugoslav republic has only made it to the Eurovision Grand Final on two occasions, namely in 2014 and 2015. The Balkan country has competed in Europe’s favourite television show 12 times.

In 2022 Vladana represented Montenegro at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin with her entry ‘Breathe‘.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-ViRVRiGl0

Source: RTCG/ESCToday
Photo credit: Corinne Cummings/ EBU