The EU commissioner at the centre of the recent controversy surrounding the use of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in the 50th anniversary European Union celebrations has laid rest to any serious claims on the contest in her blog today.

Swedish commissioner Margot Wallström makes it clear that she wishes to "put the facts straight" in the blog entry, which stresses that the only mention of Eurovision in her eight-page document was the single quoted sentence "the involvement of possible linkages with the Eurovision Song Contest could be seriously considered". The full blog entry is as follows:

"Even the best of summer weather can‘t keep me away from making a short comment on the “Eurovision hoax“ that has been blown out of all proportion over the last few days in the press and on the internet. I‘ve seen headlines such as ‘Brussels wants Eurovision for EU propaganda‘ in the Sunday Telegraph which said it had “seen a memo showing that the European Commission wants to link the contest to a television celebration of the EU‘s 50th anniversary next year“.

Let me put the facts straight. Next Spring the Treaty of Rome has its 50th anniversary. That will be celebrated. By member states, regions, local communities and EU institutions alike – we know this because many people have been in contact with us. And I think we have very good reasons for celebrating – 50 years of freedom, peace and prosperity, greater understanding of our neighbours, increased mobility, fewer borders, an internal market, a common currency in some countries and the reunification of large parts of East and West… But a lot also remains to be done, of course.

The Member States themselves have been coming up with ideas – especially the ones who signed the Treaty back in 1957. One country suggested a cake baking competition. Another one a dancing event. I and a few others thought that whatever we did it should involve something that many Europeans are interested in and not just the people in suits. Also obvious was the fact that whatever ideas we had it would need to be something that might interest TV stations. Music or sport, for example, would fit the bill as they cross borders and language barriers. And that was another idea by a Member State. So, if we were considering concerts then it would be foolish not to use the experience of the TV companies across Europe who organise the Eurovision. After all, they‘ve been doing it for 52 years – with great success!

Anyway, in the paper of ideas I presented to the Commission on 12 July what I said about the Eurovision was “The involvement of/possible linkages with the Eurovision contest could be seriously considered“ That‘s the only mention of anything remotely close to Lordi or Abba in 8 pages of text. From there it takes a pretty creative mind to come to the conclusion that the EU intends to take over the Eurovision song contest for propaganda purposes. The summer heat must have reached the news desks…"

You can read the blog entry in full at this link .