Music People to decide on ESC loan in Bern

In the city of Bern, the people should be able to decide on the loan of seven million francs for hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. This is what members of the city council from the SVP and the Green-Alternative Party are calling for.

The loan will be put to parliament on July 4. The City Council can decide on loans of up to seven million francs on its own authority. However, it will propose that the matter be submitted to the people voluntarily in accordance with the rules of procedure, SVP parliamentary group spokesperson Alexander Feuz told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Thursday.

If this is rejected, the SVP is prepared to consider an optional referendum. Simone Machado from the Green Alternative Party is also on board, as confirmed by the party on request.

The municipal council announced on Thursday that Bern wanted to bid to host the ESC 2025 together with Biel and with the support of the canton. It is to be held in the Festhalle on the Bernexpo site, which is currently under construction.

Zurich, Basel and Geneva are also in the running. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and SRG plan to announce their decision at the end of August. There will not be enough time for a referendum during this period.

For Feuz, the Bernese bid is "a storm in a teacup". An ESC in Bern is completely unrealistic; Zurich and Geneva are far more suitable locations. "Almost everyone in the know knows that."

The major event could not be held in Bern simply because of the BEA on the exhibition grounds and the 2025 European Women's Football Championships. In any case, the event does not fit in well with the climate policy goals of the red-green government and the city's tight budget. The city was behaving contradictorily.

Majority of the committee in favor of the loan

The City Council seems to be in favor of the loan. The preliminary consultation committee for resources, economy, safety and environment (RWSU) supports the proposal with a large majority. It sees "a unique opportunity to promote the economic, tourist and cultural development of the Bern region".

The city is assuming total expenditure of CHF 40.5 million and intends to pay up to CHF 7 million of this itself. The lion's share will be made up of security costs, which will be covered by the federal government and the canton.