Will the city of Basel host Eurovision 2025 and if so, under what conditions? Residents of the Swiss city must decide this Sunday by referendum whether they accept tens of millions of euros being spent on organizing the event.
Months before the competition, scheduled for next May, it is already causing a lot of noise. Many opponents continue to denounce the “waste” of public money planned for the occasion. The Federal Democratic Union (UDF), a small party defending “timeless Christian values”, has gathered the required number of signatures to launch a referendum against the Eurovision credit, putting forward financial, security and moral arguments.
“A form of black mass in public”
“The first argument is financial. We considered that this is a public expenditure which is totally disproportionate, a real waste for the canton: three days of shows for almost 35 million francs, knowing that a large part of this amount will be spent on security,” explains Philippe Karoubi, member of the UDF steering committee in Switzerland. “The fact that it is the State which organizes it provokes our reaction”, he continues, affirming that “even if financial benefits exist in Switzerland, they will be private”, particularly for the hotel industry.
This ultra-conservative party also accuses the musical competition of being a “vector of provocations or ideologies, which are clearly contrary to Western Judeo-Christian values and those of Switzerland in particular”. “There have been performances which are blasphemous against Christian thought or even occult,” notes Mr. Karoubi: this year’s performance by Bambie Thug for Ireland was “almost a form of black mass in public”.
The UDF’s final argument: conflicts, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza, are increasingly entering Eurovision. The party, which indicates on its website that it stands “unconditionally alongside the State of Israel”, denounces the “real mobbing” which targeted Israeli candidate Eden Golan during Eurovision 2024 in Malmö (Sweden). These “anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic demonstrations” are the mark of a “hostility which was totally unacceptable and incompatible with the spirit of the competition which is “United by music””, believes Mr. Karoubi.
A competition reduced to the strict minimum?
If the population were to vote against the financial contribution of 34.96 million Swiss francs (37.4 million euros) voted by the local authorities to organize the competition, “Eurovision would have to be significantly resized”, comments the head of the communication of Eurovision 2025, Edi Estermann, with only “a big television show on Saturday evening”.
For the moment, the organizers have in any case not mentioned a plan B. “A short-term transfer to another city would certainly be possible from a contractual point of view,” explains Mr. Estermann, “but would have to be carefully considered. thoughtful since preparations are already well advanced in Basel” while the Eurovision grand final takes place on May 17.
The Eurovision Song Contest, won last year by Swiss artist Nemo, is financed by contributions from member companies of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which believes that given the economic benefits, the The city must participate in financing, particularly for security costs.
The city of Basel hopes for immediate benefits of around 60 million Swiss francs, based on the experience of Liverpool (England), host city of 2023, particularly for the entire tourism and accommodation sector. According to the EBU, Malmö this year attracted a large number of visitors “who spent generously during their stay”.
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