It’s March 17, and representatives from all 37 participating countries land in Basel, marking this key milestone in the Eurovision Song Contest season. The Heads of Delegation meeting has always been the official cut-off point—the day the EBU has all the paperwork and the delegations are locked in. There’s no turning back.
But this year, something is different. There’s no last-minute mystery track hanging over proceedings. No delegation is keeping its hand close to its chest. France was the final holdout, with Louane’s dramatic ballad ‘Maman’ unveiled in a spectacular Stade de France performance on Saturday night. Now, every song has been played for the first time in years, and every card is face-up on the EBU’s table.
Reducing Last-Minute Drama and Conflict
Historically, the final stretch before this meeting has been a chaotic rush. Some delegations wait until the eleventh hour to reveal their songs, sometimes even to the EBU itself. And that’s where problems arose.
We’ve seen songs slip through the cracks before, only for a firestorm to erupt once the wider world hears them. Last year, Israel’s ‘October Rain’ was the original submission before the song became ‘Hurricane’, and the former was withdrawn before it could become an even bigger diplomatic nightmare. Belarus’ 2021 entry was kicked out after it became clear to the EBU that it was designed to ”instrumentalise” the Contest for political purposes.
This year, the new structure gives the EBU a crucial buffer zone. Take Malta as a case study. Their song, ’Serving’, has already been scrutinized and signed off by the EBU, albeit adapted from what won Malta’s National Final. But imagine if Festival da Canção had delivered ‘Faca’ as an unexpected winner early Sunday morning, forcing the EBU to evaluate it in real-time 24 hours before a Head of Delegation meeting the Monday after. With a week of breathing room following the submission deadline, this new timeline avoids that kind of last-minute scramble.
More Time, Better Staging
Beyond crisis control, the extra week before the meeting improves the Song Contest.
Staging is often the difference between a Eurovision winner and a non-qualifier. Some delegations arrive at this meeting with every camera shot mapped out. Others? They show up asking the host broadcaster to “make something nice.” Contest Producer Christer Björkman, who held the same role in 2019, has seen both ends of the spectrum.
This gap before the meeting means all delegations can refine their vision, and the host broadcaster has time to assess every performance before today’s discussions. That turns the talks over the entries into something productive rather than just a rubber-stamping submission exercise.
Swiss Efficiency in Action
Swiss leadership isn’t known for radical reinvention. The country thrives on diplomacy, efficiency, and consensus-driven decision-making. This scheduling tweak reflects that same ethos—optimizing time, making processes smoother, and ensuring collaboration happens when it actually counts when everyone is in the same city.
Basel 2025 isn’t shaping up to be a Eurovision Song Contest contest of dramatic musical upheaval. But sometimes, the most impactful changes happen behind the scenes. If today’s shift delivers a more structured, streamlined Song Contest, it should become a permanent fixture.
Because the more Eurovision becomes a genuinely collaborative effort between delegations, the EBU, and the host broadcaster, the better and more innovative this Contest can be.
And for those looking for the one detail on the running order we get from the meeting, Switzerland will sing 19th in the Grand Final.