RTÉ and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) insisted they remain close partners despite Ireland’s absence from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
RTÉ said it remains an “active member” of the EBU network of broadcasters in 56 countries, after a dispute over Israel saw it and four other countries – Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia – withdraw from this year’s contest.
The Irish broadcaster said it continued to share and draw on content via the EBU News Exchange, which includes Israeli state broadcaster Kan.
“We access news materials from the EBU News Exchange as part of our impartial news coverage,” said Laura Fitzgerald, RTÉ communications manager. “Kan uploads news materials to the exchange daily as do all EBU exchange members.”
Despite Ireland’s absence in Vienna, EBU director general Noel Curran, a former RTÉ director general, said “the future of the Dublin-Geneva relationship is very secure”.
