Following unpaid debts totalling CHF 16 million owed by Romanian broadcaster Televiziunea Română (TVR), the EBU have withdrawn member services to TVR and they are therefore no longer eligible to perform in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. TVR has previously been given a deadline of Wednesday 20 April to make sufficient arrangements for the repayment of this debt. When this deadline was not met, the decision was made that TVR would no longer receive member services from the EBU. TVR will now no longer be able to participate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest and will lose access to other EBU member services including the Eurovision News and Sports News Exchanges, the right to broadcast specific sporting events, legal, technical and research expertise and lobbying services.

EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre said: “It is regrettable that we are forced to take this action. We are disappointed that all our attempts to resolve this matter have received no response from the Romanian government.”

Romania’s Ovidiu Anton was scheduled to perform his entry Moment of Silence in the second Semi-Final on May 12th. They will now be removed from the running order, however the running order of the remaining 18 acts will remain unchanged.

As a consequence of the withdrawal of member services, TVR will not have access to the broadcast signal from Stockholm, and therefore will not be able to broadcast the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.