Serbian organisation on schedule

“Things are going ahead on schedule”, says Kjell Ekholm, the Finnish delegate on the Eurovision Song Contest steering group, when asked about the situation in Serbia, the 2008 host-nation.
      The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has a meeting slated for March 16th.
      “We will take a look at the situation then. There has been talk that the Serbian government would give an assurance of the safety of the various national delegations while they are in Belgrade”, says Ekholm.
     
The Song Contest will not be moved elsewhere without some pretty serious reasons.
      “That is absolutely the last resort”, confirms Ekholm. “The arrangements are already so far gone.”
      If the worst does come to the worst, there are a number of alternative scenarios. “We’d first have to see if it could be arranged somewhere else in Serbia or in one of the countries nearby.”
      Much to the relief, no doubt, of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, Finland does not have any obligations as the previous year’s host to step in as an last-minute alternative organiser this time around.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 3.3.2008

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 BACKGROUND: Finland’s entry will take part in the first semi-final on May 20th