The next Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Belgrade in 2008, will be organised with two Semi-Finals. The proposal was presented by the ESC Reference Group and accepted by the EBU Television Committee at their 50th annual meeting in Verona last week. 

All countries will be grouped into two Semi-Finals, with the exception of France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Serbia, who will automatically qualify for the Final. 

"We are convinced that the introduction of a second Semi-Final contributes to a more stable future for the Eurovision Song Contest," said Svante Stockselius, Executive Supervisor of the ESC. "We carefully listened to the suggestions of Members and fans and we took notice of the critical remarks in the press. After evaluating several scenarios, we decided to introduce a second Semi-Final already in 2008. This increases the fairness of the competition, opens doors to a more interesting Final and production-wise, it is the most flexible solution," added Mr. Stockselius.

Click here for the full press release.