RTS, the Serbian national broadcaster has announced today on its official website  that Serbia intends participate at the forthcoming 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, next May. The broadcaster has submitted a preliminary application to the EBU, in order to participate in the contest next year.

The broadcaster is yet to resolve the financial issues afflicting the Serbian participation. The broadcaster will now concentrate on solving this issue and resolve the financial hurdles. Serbia has until October 10 to make a final decision regarding its participation in Vienna.

The deadline for countries to submit their application in order to participate at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest concludes today 15 September. Hereafter all applicant countries have a grace period until 10 October to make a final decision regarding their respective participations, ie can withdraw their application without a financial penalty.

Serbia is the 31st country to confirm its intention to participate at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.

Serbia  joins Italy, Israel,Armenia Romania, United Kingdom, Georgia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Belarus, Latvia, France, Greece,  FYR Macedonia, Austria, Cyprus, Malta, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Finland, The Netherlands, Lithuania, Belgium, Portugal, Azerbaijan and Estonia  in the list of countries which will join the 2015 Eurovision party in Austria next year.

The official list of participating countries at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest is expected to be released by the EBU by early January  2015.

The method and mechanism RTS will use to select its 2015 Eurovision entry and act is yet to be determined.

The last time we saw Serbia on Eurovision stage was in 2013 when Moje 3 represented Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo. Serbia withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 due to financial reasons.

In 2013 Serbia opted for a national final in order to select its Eurovision entry and act. Moje 3 won the golden ticket to Malmo with their entry
Ljubav Je Svuda. The all girl trio failed to qualify to the grand final despite an energetic fun loving performance.

Serbia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest  in 2007 when Marija Serifovic triumphed with Molitva in Helsinki and brought the Eurovision trophy on Serbian soil for the very first time. In 2008 Serbia successfully hosted the event on homeground, in Belgrade.

The 2015 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held on 19, 21, 23 May at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.

Stay tuned to ESCToday for the latest news on Serbia and the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.