Eurovision 2007 Finland

Hello Europe, this is Cork Calling!

Well its getting closer! The year 2007 that is and im already getting my fill of updates from esctoday.com and eurovision.tv but i hadnt realisied that this year a record 42 countries will be taking part in the competition. God the voting will be even longer.

This year Hungary and Austria (dropped out for 2006) return to the competition and teh Czech Republic and Georgia join the ESC Family. Also this year with the seperation of Montenegro from Serbia, they are competing as seperate countries.

The contest could have been bigger but Monaco has decided not to take part this year

The line up for the 52nd Edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in the Hartwall Areena, Helsinki, so far is

Semi-Final: Thursday 10th of May, 2007
Participating countries (28): Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, FYR Macedonia, Georgia , Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia , Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey

Final: Saturday 12th of May, 2007
Participating countries: Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Participants so far confirmed:
*Moldova: Natalia Barbu, Fight
*The Netherlands: Edsilia Rombley
*Switzerland: Dj Bobo
*Ireland: Dervish

Albania will be the next country to choose their act when Festival i kenges is broadcast on the 23rd of December.

For more information on upcoming selections check out ESCtoday's Calender

Montenegro, newest state in Europe!

Montenegrin's at the weekend voted to end the last remnants of the former Yugoslavia, with the decission to breaks away from the State Union of Serbia and Montengro. State-certified results indicated on May 22 that, with a turnout of 86.3%, 55.4% of voters had elected to become independent.

The EU now is compelled to recognise the new state as it meets the requirments set by the EU.

Legal procedure
Before the referendum:
According to the Montenegrin Constitution, state status cannot be changed without a referendum and the President of the state proposes a referendum to the Parliament. The referendum bill was introduced by the president of Montenegro, Filip Vujanović, and it was unanimously passed by the Montenegrin Assembly on March 2, 2006.

After the referendum:
The Referendum Bill obliges the Assembly which introduced the referendum to respect its outcome. It has to declare the official results within 15 days, and act upon them within 60 days.

Changes to the Montenegrin Constitution which involve changes of the state status require dissolving the Assembly when the bill is passed, and convocation of the new one within 90 days. The new Assembly has to adopt, with two thirds majority, such changes to the Constitution, or accept a new document.

The newly-independent nation of Serbia, which will be the successor state to the state union of Serbia and Montenegro, while favouring the status quo and a loose Yugoslav Federation, has stated publicly that it would respect the outcome of the election and not interfere with Montenegrin sovereignty.

Referendum question

Želite li da Republika Crna Gora bude nezavisna država sa punim međunarodno-pravnim subjektivitetom (as it appeared on the ballot)
Do you want the Republic of Montenegro to be an independent state with a full international and legal personality (as translated by OSCE)