Helsinki will mark the first time that Montenegro enters the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent state, despite having entered for decades in the past, first as a part of Yugoslavia, and then as part of the loose state union of Serbia & Montenegro. Keen to be taken seriously as a strong contender in their own right, Vesna Banović of RTCG declared that the country can host the Eurovision Song Contest if they win in 2007.
2005 entrants for Serbia & Montenegro, No Name, were from Montenegro, as were the 1983 and 1984 Yugoslav acts. In 2006, No Name won the Serbia & Montenegro national final again, but after a national scandal over the perceived unfair voting on the part of the Montenegrin judges, Serbia & Montenegro withdrew from the Athens competition.
Since splitting into Serbia and Montenegro in June 2006, Montenegrin state broadcaster and EBU member RTCG has been considering how to go about selecting the first independentMontenegrin entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. Vesna Banović of RTCGexplainedto esctoday.com that no decisions have yet been taken on the method for selecting their song, meaning that although Montevizija, which was used as a regional semi from 2004-2006, may still be used in 2007, there are possibilities for other types of selection, including an internal one for Montenegro.
Vesna also added that Montenegro is considering re-entering JESC in Rotterdam as an independent country, after taking part as Serbia & Montenegro in JESC 2005. However, their participation in the Netherlands depends on RTCG's budget for 2007. She also confirmed that should Montenegro win the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007, RTCG would be able to host it to EBU standards – quashing the speculation of some fans.
