The Sofia Municipality has sent an official letter to the Director General of the Bulgarian National Television, Milena Milotinova, requesting detailed feedback on the assessment of Sofia's bid to host “Eurovision 2027“.
The municipality demands detailed information on each of the criteria used in evaluating the bids, including the reasons for the scores. Sofia also wants agreement to publicly present those elements of its bid that are not affected by the signed confidentiality agreement.
“Sofia will do everything it can to make Eurovision 2027 a success for Bulgaria. But we also have questions. Transparency does not hinder success. On the contrary - it creates trust.” This was stated by the Mayor of Sofia, Vasil Terziev.
The request comes in the context of a procedure in which candidates are bound by confidentiality requirements and neither the full applications nor the scores for the individual criteria are publicly available. This limits the possibility of an independent and meaningful analysis of the result and leaves room for assumptions about the reasons that led to the choice of Burgas.
For the Sofia Municipality, the feedback from BNT is necessary so that Sofia can realistically assess its performance, identify areas in which it needs development, and use the experience gained in future applications to host international events.
„At the moment, we do not have access to the scores and the motivations behind them precisely because of the confidentiality commitments that we made within the framework of the procedure. That is why we asked BNT for specific feedback – in order to make an objective analysis of our performance and build on what has been achieved. We do not believe that “Eurovision“ should become an intercity struggle, but a joint opportunity for Bulgaria“, said Deputy Mayor for Culture and Tourism Irina Dakova.
The public presentation of the admissible elements of the applications would allow the public conversation to be based on the real proposals and decisions of the cities that participated in the procedure, and not on unconfirmed allegations. Sofia Municipality believes that this is also important for the trust in the process of selecting a host for an event of national and international importance.
Sofia was among the two final candidates to host the contest. After the selection of Burgas, the Sofia Municipality congratulated the city and the Bulgarian National Television and confirmed its readiness to support the organization and holding of “Eurovision 2027“, as well as to participate in the accompanying program with cultural initiatives.
The preparation of Sofia's candidacy mobilized a significant expert resource and included solutions related to infrastructure, transport connectivity, sustainability and the cultural program. The accumulated expertise and the developed solutions will be used by the Sofia Municipality in future international projects and opportunities for hosting major events.