An online petition has been created by concerned Eurovision Song Contest fans in order to put pressure on San Marino officials, so that the European microstate participates at the next Eurovision Song Contest. The creators wish to have the Italian language represented in the contest and they feel that, at the same time, tourism and the economy of the European microstate will be promoted inside Europe.

As revealed last month by esctoday.com, the state's broadcaster SMRTV is not averse to the idea of joining the Eurovision Song Contest. Actually, they were considering trying it last year but the project was shelved under pressure from the shareholders, including Italian national broadcaster, RAI.

So, local fans have decided to take action and they created an online petition which they aim to include in the dossier they will submit to politicians and the press. "They should understand that Eurovision is a strong way to promote a republic so close to the Riviera of Rimini. The Riviera has become one of the most important holiday resorts, attracting an increasing number of tourists from Eastern Europe that hardly know what and where San Marino is." Marco, the organiser of the petitionsays. And he asks for the assistance of fans from all over Europe to put pressure on local authorities.Already, 400 fans have signed the petition, which is expected to be popular amongst locals and Eurovision Song Contest fans.

You can sign the petition here.